Acquittal of Accused in Dowry Harassment Case: Supreme Court Judgment

In a recent Supreme Court judgment, the acquittal of the accused in a dowry harassment case has been upheld. The case involved allegations of dowry demand and mistreatment leading to the victim’s tragic death. Despite initial conviction by the trial court, the High Court reversed the decision, citing insufficient evidence and lack of a proximate connection between the alleged dowry demand and the act of cruelty. Learn more about the details of this significant legal case.

Facts

The High Court found that there was no direct knowledge of demand of dowry by the complainant.
The Court noted that the victim’s sister was not harassed, casting doubt on the dowry demand allegations.
The evidence was considered weak and insufficient for conviction.
The prosecution failed to establish a proximate connection between the demand of dowry and the act of cruelty/harassment leading to death.
No evidence was found proving harassment or cruelty related to demand for dowry soon before the victim’s death.
Hearsay evidence and discrepancies in witness statements were cited as reasons for not upholding the conviction.
The absence of testimony from the victim’s sister was also considered significant by the High Court.
The judgment of conviction passed by the trial court was reversed by the High Court, acquitting the respondents.
The victim was harassed for dowry and physically abused by her husband.
She was thrown out of her matrimonial home when she was pregnant because her in-laws demanded cash, gold articles, and a refrigerator.
The post mortem report indicated that the cause of death was shock due to superficial deep burns on her body.
The complainant and villagers found the victim dead at the accused’s house.
The victim’s brother confirmed the mistreatment and confirmed seeing the dead body.
There were no eye-witnesses to the incident.
The victim’s younger daughter Neetu allegedly claimed that the accused killed and set the victim on fire after pouring kerosene oil on her body.
The victim gave birth to a girl child while at the accused’s house, and her in-laws demanded a gold ring and chain.
After being set on fire, the victim stayed there for 15-20 days before being killed.
The complaint was filed at Sadar Police Station, Bahadurgarh, alleging death due to torture by in-laws for dowry.
A village Panchayat intervened and sent the victim back to her in-laws’ house.