Taking suo motu cognisance of a brutal assault on a woman lawyer allegedly by her husband, the Supreme Court on Monday directed the Delhi Police commissioner to hand over the probe to a senior woman police officer in the rank of Assistant/Deputy Commissioner of Police.”The Commissioner of Police, Delhi, is directed to hand over the investigation to a fairly senior officer and preferably a woman officer in the rank of assistant/deputy commissioner of police,” said a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant which took suo motu cognisance of a letter written by advocate Sneha Kalita seeking the top court’s intervention.The Bench — which also included Justice Joymalya Bagchi — asked the investigating officer to look into the allegations that three hospitals refused to admit the victim.Noting that the victim would be in need of financial assistance, especially for undergoing treatment and to look after her minor daughters, the bench directed the NALSA to release an interim sum of Rs 3 lakh in her favour.Asking the investigating officer to submit a status report of the probe, it posted the matter for May 11.The victim, a 38-year-old advocate practising at the Karkardooma district courts here, was brutally assaulted with a sword and was stabbed allegedly by her husband at Sonia Vihar on April 22.After the assault, the victim somehow managed to call her family and the PCR, submitted Kalita, who has been appointed amicus curiae in the case to assist the Bench.On behalf of the Delhi government, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told the Bench that an FIR was registered and the husband was arrested on the intervening night of April 25-26.”Please find out why the hospitals denied emergency treatment to the victim,” the CJI told Bhati, after it was claimed that three hospitals refused admission to the victim who was later admitted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre.In the complaint, there were allegations against the in-laws of the victim and they were stated to be absconding, the Bench noted.Kalita said that after the assault, the in-laws of the victim took away two of her three minor daughters aged four years and one year along with them and their whereabouts were unknown.The eldest daughter (12) was allegedly abandoned at night outside the house by the husband and was later found by the police.The Bench asked the police to find out the whereabouts of the two minor girls. The custody of the eldest daughter shall continue with the maternal grandparents, it noted.It noted that the victim was taken to four hospitals and three of them refused admission. It said one of the hospitals provided first aid to her and referred the case to another hospital.The accused, Manoj Kumar, a resident of Sonia Vihar, was arrested from Khajuri Khas on Jattvibeday, the court was informed.