A woman carrying her two-year-old son consumed poison at the door of the courtroom of Justice AJ Desai in Gujarat high court premises on Tuesday morning.
The victim was rushed to Sola Civil Hopital where she has been lying unconscious and the police are yet to take her statement. "Her situation is critical and we put her on life-support system. She also suffered a cardiac arrest but revived later," said Dr Makad, head of the department of medicine.
The woman took the extreme step when she came to the court for the hearing of her application challenging the anticipatory bail granted to Sandip Panchal, who allegedly raped her for four years.
According to sources, she had come to the court as her matter was posted for hearing on Tuesday, but it was adjourned as her lawyer was away due to the death of a close relative. On hearing about it, she took out a small bottle, consumed the liquid at the door of the courtroom and rushed inside carrying her son. She then shouted that "nothing had happened in her case though the accused was threatening her."
Sources said that the smell of kerosene was emanating from the woman, who had also vomitted in the courtroom. She was also coughing under the influence of the fluid. A doctor was called to the courtroom and then lawyer Mangukiya took her to the hospital in his car.
According to the complaint, the victim, who hails from Delhi, got married in 2007, and came to live at Meghaninagar in 2008.Her neighbour Sandip allegedly committed rape and filmed it using his mobile on a Navratri night in 2008.
The complainant claimed that Sandip continued the act by threatening to show the video clip to her husband and upload it on the Internet. The intensity of exploitation rose after her husband went missing as a police complaint of cheating was lodged against him in 2011.
The victim changed her address about four times to escape from Sandip, but he followed her and continued raping her. Ultimately, the woman lodged a complaint at Meghaninagar police station on October 18 last year. Sandip, however, secured bail in December.
Pati Patni Aur Panga
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
