Add'l District Judge in Gujarat attacked with stone

Navsari (Gujarat), Dec 30 It was a narrow escape for Navsari Additional District Judge on Friday when a convict attacked him with a stone while he was hearing a case in the courtroom.

Condemning the incident, the Navsari District Bar Association has demanded an inquiry into it.

Advocate Pratapsinh Mahida told the local media that the incident took place in the Additional District judge R.R. Desai's courtroom. Accused Dharmesh Rathod threw a stone at the female judge who had a narrow escape. Immediately, the police on duty rounded up the accused and took him out of the courtroom. The accused had carried stone from the jail premises.

Mahida said this accused has a history of attacking judges, yet no precautionary measures were taken by the police (Japta police). In the past, the accused had hurled a foot-wear at the judge.

The Bar Association is demanding an inquiry into the role of Police, whether they had any prior information or why was not the accused subjected to physical frisking before being produced in the court.