The Supreme Court acquitted a man convicted of his wife’s dowry death and cruelty, highlighting the prosecution’s failure to prove specific allegations as required under Section 304B of the IPC. The court criticized trial courts for repeating mistakes and called for better judicial training to prevent wrongful convictions based on moral assumptions rather than solid evidence.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday acquitted a man convicted of cruelty and dowry death of his wife, stating that trial courts continue to make repeated mistakes in such cases.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan observed that the prosecution had failed to provide specific instances of cruelty or harassment, which is an essential ingredient under Section 304B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The Supreme Court noted that none of the witness statements contained specific allegations of cruelty or harassment by the accused husband.
“This court has repeatedly laid down and explained the ingredients of the offence under Section 304B. But, the trial courts are committing the same mistakes repeatedly. It is for the state judicial academies to step in. Perhaps this is a case of moral conviction,”
the bench remarked.
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The court highlighted that the victim’s mother did not attribute any particular act of cruelty or harassment to the husband while deposing about the alleged dowry demand.
“This is an essential ingredient of Section 304-B. It is not made out from the evidence..,”
the judges stated.
Since the prosecution failed to prove the allegations beyond reasonable doubt, the Supreme Court set aside the Punjab and Haryana High Court and trial court’s orders, acquitting the accused.
Case Background and Legal Findings
- The husband and his parents were charged under Sections 304B (dowry death) and 498A (cruelty by husband or relatives) read with Section 34 of the IPC.
- The trial court acquitted his parents but convicted the husband.
- The couple had been married on June 25, 1996, and the wife died by suicide on April 2, 1998—within the seven-year period required under Section 304B.
- Postmortem reports confirmed that she died due to asphyxia from hanging.
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The Supreme Court’s judgment also stressed the need for better training for trial judges to prevent wrongful convictions in dowry death cases. The bench emphasized that trial courts should ensure all legal conditions under Section 304B are met before convicting accused persons.
This ruling is a wake-up call for judicial academies to ensure fair trials and prevent convictions based on moral assumptions rather than concrete evidence.
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