El Cajon
A doctor who had been charged with plotting to kill his wife, also a doctor, was sentenced Thursday to perform 200 hours of community service after having plead guilty to a lesser charge.
In December, Dr. Ashok Gidwani, 40, was accused of soliciting a former patient to kill his wife, Dr. Lata Gidwani, 39. Both are from India. His wife, a pathologist, appeared in court in December to show her support for her husband and told police she did not believe he intended to hurt her. In February, Gidwani pleaded guilty to the charge of solicitation to commit an assault.
The orthopedic surgeon could have been sentenced to a maximum of three years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Instead Municipal Judge Frank Brown ordered Gidwani to perform the community service, to pay at $200 fine, and placed him on three years probation.
The Gidwanis were wed in 1975 in a traditional Indian prearranged marriage.
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