On his way to court for a hearing in a murder case in which he was the accused, a man was assaulted by a group of four people in Chinchwad.

Ravindra Vishnu Bhandekar (25), the assaulted man, received serious injuries in the attack and was admitted to the Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial (YCM) Hospital. His condition was described as critical but stable.

The police arrested three suspects in this assault case, while one was absconding.

Bhandekar is a resident of Dattanagar in Chinchwad. The three suspects arrested by the Pimpri police on Saturday were identified as Ravi Ovhal (25), Ankush Jadhav (24) and Deepak Shinde (25), all residents of Chinchwad.

The police identified their accomplice on the run as Sushil Gaikwad.

"Bhandekar is an accused in a murder case which was registered some years ago," said Police Inspector Tukaram Gaud from the Pimpri police station. "He was going to the court to attend the hearing in that case when he was attacked."

Gaud added that past rivalry was the reason behind the attack on Bhandekar.

"The suspects had a fight last year during Navratri with a man called Sandeep Kusalkar, who is a close associate of Bhandekar," said Gaud. "Over this rivalry, the foursome attacked Bhandekar. The suspects feared that Bhandekar would get them killed."

Gaud said Bhandekar was accosted as soon as he had stepped out of his home.

"The four suspects intercepted Bhandekar just when he stepped out of his house. The suspects assaulted Bhandekar with a chopper, swords and other sharp weapons. After that they immediately fled the spot. Some of the residents informed Bhandekar's relatives about the incident, after which he was admitted to YCM hospital," Gaud said.

Doctors at YCM said Bhandekars condition was "critically stable" and he was being kept under medical observation.

Bhandekar received deep and severe injuries on his head, chest and back, said the doctors.