The High Court in Suva has granted a one-month adjournment for an independent doctor to complete a psychiatric assessment on former high school student Rihaal Kumar, who is accused of a fatal stabbing on Waimanu Road.
Mr Kumar’s lawyer sought the time in court today to allow the medical expert to complete the evaluation and compile a report.
The application follows two previous psychiatric reports which found the accused unfit to enter a plea or stand trial.
The prosecution alleges that the killing was premeditated, claiming that five days before the incident, the teenager purchased a $5 dagger and asked his father to sharpen it.
Mr Kumar is alleged to have used the dagger along with two kitchen knives to stab Sharuf Shaakir Khan multiple times in the stomach, thigh, and back at an apartment complex on Waimanu Road in Suva on July 7, 2025.
The deceased’s body was discovered by his brother-in-law, after which Kumar allegedly admitted to the killing before police were alerted.
Justice Daniel Goundar adjourned the matter to November 6, 2026, for the independent psychiatric report to be furnished to the court.
Mr Kumar has been further remanded under the care of Saint Giles Hospital.
