Ahmedabad court orders fresh psychological assessment of juvenile in builder’s murder case

In a significant development in the high-profile murder case of builder Himmat Kanubhai Rudani, the Special Children's Court in Ahmedabad has directed the Resident Medical Officer (RMO) of Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad, to conduct a fresh preliminary clinical psychological assessment of the juvenile accused.

The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) had previously declared the accused a minor, relying on a preliminary clinical psychology report submitted by the Mehsana General Hospital. This assessment was carried out under Section 15(1) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which mandates a preliminary evaluation for 16-18-year-olds accused of heinous offences — including murder. This assessment evaluates the child's mental and physical capacity, ability to understand the consequences of the offence, and the circumstances surrounding the crime, with the involvement of experts like psychologists.

Challenging the JJB's order, Dhaval Rudani — son of the deceased builder Himmat Rudani — filed an appeal before the Special Children's Court. Invoking Section 101(2) of the Act, which provides for an appeal against the JJB's preliminary assessment order to the Court of Sessions (functioning here as the Special Children's Court), the appellate court has now ordered an independent re-examination by a different clinical psychologist.

Section 101(2) explicitly empowers the appellate court to seek assistance from experienced psychologists and medical specialists other than those who assisted the Juvenile Justice Board in its original order.

The brutal murder of 62-year-old Himmat Kanubhai Rudani came to light in September 2025 when his body was discovered stabbed to death inside the boot of his white Mercedes under the Viratnagar overbridge. The case is linked to a long-standing land dispute between Rudani and another prominent developer, Mansukh Lakhani alias Mansukh Jackie.

Investigations have revealed that Dhaval Rudani had earlier lodged a complaint with the CID Crime’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) against Kinjal Lakhani, son of Mansukh Lakhani, accusing him of cheating and criminal breach of trust involving ₹1.5 crore.

According to the EOW FIR, Kinjal Lakhani allegedly forged Dhaval Rudani’s signature and created a fake authority letterhead of their joint firm, K D Developers, to illegally withdraw ₹1.5 crore from their cooperative bank account. He is also accused of selling several shops in their commercial project without his partner’s knowledge or consent.

The project was launched after Dhaval Rudani and Kinjal Lakhani jointly purchased land worth ₹3 crore near Nikol’s Gangotri Circle under a 50:50 partnership agreement. . The EOW FIR alleges that Kinjal used forged documents to remove his partner from the venture’s control and siphoned off the proceeds.