A local court in Surat has sentenced a 31-year-old school teacher to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for attempting to murder an MBBS doctor whom he blamed for failing to help his wife lose weight despite charging Rs 5,000 for treatment.
Court Verdict and Observations
The convict, Manoj Dudhatara, was found guilty of attempt to murder and robbery charges by the 12th additional sessions court. The court observed that the attack was pre-planned and carried out in a “cold-blooded” manner. Judge Bhavesh Avashia rejected the defense's plea for leniency and convicted him on both counts.
Details of the Incident
According to the prosecution, Dudhatara, a teacher at a reputed school in the Abrama area, went to the clinic of Katargam-based Dr Ajay Moradiya on December 2, 2020, pretending to seek consultation for his own weight-loss treatment. After examining him, Dr Moradiya asked for Rs 5,000 as consultation charges. Dudhatara then told the doctor that he did not have enough cash and would return after withdrawing money from an ATM.
About 10 minutes later, he returned to the clinic and sat inside the doctor’s cabin. Police said he suddenly pulled out a saw blade hidden with him and attacked the doctor on the neck, causing severe bleeding. As Dr Moradiya ran out of the clinic to save himself, the accused chased him outside before forcing him back into the cabin. During the assault, Dudhatara was allegedly carrying both a saw blade and a pair of scissors.
Motive Revealed
It was then that he revealed the motive behind the attack. According to the prosecution, Dudhatara shouted that Dr Moradiya had treated his wife for weight loss about five years earlier, but she did not benefit from the treatment. He accused the doctor of cheating patients and demanded the return of the Rs 5,000 allegedly paid for his wife’s treatment. When the doctor told him that he had only Rs 1,500 in his purse, Dudhatara allegedly snatched the purse and the doctor’s mobile phone before fleeing from the clinic.
Trial and Arguments
Following a police complaint, trial proceedings began in February 2021. During the hearing, public prosecutor Dipesh Dave argued that the accused had launched an unprovoked attack on a doctor using sharp weapons and deserved maximum punishment under the law. The defense sought leniency, citing Dudhatara’s profession as a teacher, lack of criminal antecedents, and family responsibilities. However, the court rejected the plea.
Court’s Strong Observations
“Despite being a teacher, the accused attacked the doctor on the neck in broad daylight with a criminal mindset, in a cold-blooded and pre-planned manner, merely to recover fees that had been paid voluntarily,” the court observed. The court also directed that compensation be paid to the victim under the Gujarat Victim Compensation Scheme, 2019, through the district legal services authority.
