Chandigarh: A woman who had gone with a court order and a team of officials to reclaim her husband’s house in Chandigarh’s Sector 42 from an occupier was shot and injured, allegedly by a high court lawyer, on Saturday. Police have arrested the suspect, 67-year-old J P S Chadha, and seized his licensed 12-bore gun.The incident took place in the presence of police personnel and a court bailiff. The suspect’s son says he fired in ‘self-defence’. Sector 18 resident Manvinder Kaur, who is the wife of property owner Rajinder Singh Kaura, suffered bullet splinter injuries to her head and face. She was rushed to PGI, where she is undergoing treatment. Police said her condition is stable.The dispute over eviction of the house dates to 2013.Police said Chadha, a Punjab and Haryana high court advocate, was allegedly occupying the property and was alone inside the house at the time of the incident. They added that Manvinder accompanied the police officials and a court bailiff to execute an eviction order issued by a court to restore possession of the house.Police said the house was locked from inside and officers repeatedly asked Chadha to open the door. He allegedly refused and kept the officials waiting for around 45 minutes. Acting on the court’s directions, police said they proceeded to break open the lock to execute the eviction order.When the party attempted to enter the house, Chadha allegedly came to the balcony and opened fire from his licensed double-barrel gun. Manvinder Kaur was hit, police said.Sector 36 police, led by DSP (South) Dheeraj Kumar and other officers, reached the spot and began an investigation. The weapon allegedly used in the firing was seized, forensic experts examined the scene and statements of eyewitnesses were recorded.On the complaint of court bailiff Shyam Sunder, Sector 36 police registered a case against Chadha under BNS and Arms Act and arrested him.DSP Kumar maintained that the house had originally been rented to the advocate and the owner had obtained a court order for restoration of possession. “In compliance with the court’s directions, the lock was to be broken to hand over possession to the owner. As soon as the lock was opened and the owner attempted to enter, the advocate allegedly opened fire from the balcony,” he said.
