Distressed over decade-long divorce case, man stabs wife in open court

The man, identified as Saravanan, a driver working in Metropolitan Transport Corporation, was immediately overpowered by the lawyers and other court staff and handed over to the police, while his wife Varalakshmi was rushed to hospital. 

At 11.50 am, while the court was in session, Saravanan stood up, walked towards Varalakshmi and pulled out a knife, which was hidden in his hip. Before anyone could react, he had already stabbed Varalakshmi twice on the chest. 

Immediately after, lawyers, including R Krishnamurthy, rushed to stop Saravanan. This commotion gave Varalakshmi another injury on the neck. The incident created a panic in the court room as many who witnessed the stabbing started rushing out. Lawyers and  others thrashed Saravanan and later handed him over to the police. 

Varalakshmi was rushed to the Rajiv Gandhi government GH. 

Saravanan, a resident of Siruvanjur village near Sriperumbudur in Kancheepuram, applied for divorce in 2009 after both separated over matrimonial dispute. 

After the court had ordered Saravanan to remit Rs 1.65 lakh as maintenance to Varalakshmi,  he had filed a petition against it. The petition came up for hearing in the court of Elangovan on Tuesday. Varalakshmi was sitting in the first row while her husband was sitting on one of back benches. 

Saravanan later told the police that he wanted to kill his wife because she had been dragging the divorce case for so many years and because of this delay, he was unable to move on.