The Supreme Court acquitted a woman convicted under Section 498-A IPC, observing that “word spreads faster than the wind” about dowry harassment. The bench set aside the Uttarakhand High Court’s order citing lack of reliable evidence.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Friday acquitted a woman who was earlier convicted for allegedly harassing her daughter-in-law for dowry, while observing that such allegations often spread quickly in society.
A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria delivered the judgment in an appeal filed against a decision of the Uttarakhand High Court.
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The High Court had earlier upheld the trial court’s verdict, convicting the woman under Section 498-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sentencing her to three years in prison.
Section 498-A of the IPC (now shifted to Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) deals with cruelty by the husband or his relatives towards a married woman, particularly linked to dowry demands.
The Supreme Court noted that the trial court had based the conviction on the ground that the deceased woman had informed her family members about dowry harassment before her death.
However, the appellant’s neighbour, who appeared as a witness, had clearly stated that no dowry demand was ever made.
The bench said:
“Her evidence having been brushed aside by the trial court and also high court on the premise that she could not have deposed any fact with regard to the demand of dowry as it happens within the four walls is an erroneous finding particularly in such matters the word spreads faster than the wind about a daughter-in-law being harassed for the dowry by the parents in law.”
The case dated back to June 2001, when the deceased woman’s father lodged a complaint after his daughter was found dead inside her matrimonial home.
It was alleged that she was pregnant at the time and had earlier told her family that her mother-in-law used to pass sarcastic comments about dowry.
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The complainant also claimed that his son-in-law was not present in the city when the incident took place. Consequently, the deceased’s parents-in-law and brother-in-law were named as accused in the case.
The trial court, however, acquitted the male members, while holding that the woman had died by suicide due to harassment from her mother-in-law.
When the mother-in-law challenged the conviction before the Uttarakhand High Court, her appeal was dismissed. The High Court upheld the trial court’s judgment and confirmed the three-year jail term.
In its ruling, the Supreme Court explained the scope of Section 498-A IPC by stating:
“Demand for dowry in any form was itself sufficient for Section 498-A of the IPC being attracted.”
The bench further clarified:
“Likewise, harassing of a married woman with a view to coercing her or her relative to meet any unlawful demand would also fall within the mischief of the expression ‘cruelty’.”
However, while analyzing the statements of the witnesses, the Supreme Court found that the deposition of the deceased’s mother was not enough to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The bench observed:
“Referring to the deposition of the deceased’s mother, the bench said, it would not inspire any confidence to any person of common prudence to arrive at a conclusion that on account of either harassment for dowry or on account of demand for dowry made by the appellant, she died by suicide.”
In light of this, the court held that the conviction was unsustainable. While allowing the appeal, the bench set aside the order of the High Court and acquitted the woman of all charges.
Click Here to Read Previous Reports on Dowry Harassment
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