The Supreme Court set aside a bail order issued by Allahabad High Court in a dowry death case, calling it one of the most shocking and disappointing orders and saying that it led to a “travesty of justice.”
The Supreme Court set-aside a bail order issued by the Allahabad High Court in a dowry death case, describing it as one of the most shocking and disappointing orders and asserting that it led to a “travesty of justice.”
The Court granted an appeal filed by the father of the deceased and instructed the accused husband to promptly surrender and be taken into judicial custody.
This appeal stemmed from a High Court decision on October 10, 2025, which had granted bail to Devraj Verma, also known as Golu, the husband of a 22-year-old woman who died under suspicious circumstances just three months after their marriage.
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The matter involves FIR No. 188 of 2025 registered at the Kotwali Bhinga police station in Shrawasti district, Uttar Pradesh, under Sections 85 and 80(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, as well as Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.
The Court noted that the woman passed away at her marital home in the early hours of April 25, 2025. Her father, Chetram Verma, filed the FIR alleging ongoing dowry demands, including a request for a four-wheeler, despite having provided Rs.3.5 lakh in cash at the time of the wedding.
He further claimed that his daughter faced both physical and mental harassment and was ultimately murdered for dowry. The post-mortem examination determined that her death was due to asphyxia from strangulation.
Following an investigation, a charge sheet was prepared, and the case was sent to the Sessions Court, where charges were established and the trial began.
At the time of the High Court’s bail decision, the deceased’s father had already been examined as the initial prosecution witness.
Taking serious issue with the High Court’s reasoning, the Supreme Court pointed out that the bail order merely noted the defense’s arguments and assumed that the absence of prior criminal history and the accused’s detention since April 27, 2025, justified the bail.
The Court stated,
“We fail to understand on plain reading of the impugned order as to what the High Court is trying to convey. What weighed with the High Court in exercising its discretion in favour of the accused for the purpose of grant of bail in a very serious crime like dowry death. What did the High Court do? All that the High Court did, was to record the submission of the defense counsel and thereafter proceeded to observe that the accused was in jail since 27.07.2025 and there being no criminal history, he was entitled to bail. Accordingly, bail came to be granted,”
The bench remarked that the High Court entirely overlooked critical factors such as the severity of the crime, the dynamics between the accused and the deceased, the circumstances surrounding her death in the matrimonial home, and the post-mortem results indicating strangulation.
It also criticized the High Court for disregarding the statutory presumption under Section 118 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, which states a presumption of dowry death in cases where a woman is subjected to cruelty or harassment for dowry shortly before her death.
Labeling the impugned order as “unsustainable in law,” the Supreme Court cancelled the bail, ordered the accused to surrender immediately to the trial court, and mandated his remand to judicial custody.
The Court also urged the Sessions Court to expedite the trial, clarifying that the determination of the accused’s guilt or innocence would be based solely on evidence presented during the trial.
Furthermore, the Registry was instructed to send a copy of the judgment to the Registrar General of the Allahabad High Court for presentation to the Chief Justice.
Thus, the appeal was granted, and all outstanding applications were resolved.
Case Title: Chet Ram Verma v. Union of India
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