Husband, 4 family members acquitted in dowry harassment case

Husband, 4 family members acquitted in dowry harassment case

A man and his parents have been acquitted of the charges of murdering and harassing his wife for bringing insufficient dowry by a Delhi court which said it was a case of suicide and false allegations of torture were levelled against them.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) K S Pal also acquitted the man's brother and his wife of the charges of subjecting the woman to cruelty.

While freeing the five family members of Ganesh Nagar here, the court observed that now-a-days, there is a growing tendency adopted by the parents of deceased married woman, who died in her matrimonial house within seven years of marriage due to any reason, to implicate the husband and his relatives by making false allegations of harassment on ground of dowry demands due to their anger and to take revenge.

The court acquitted deceased Vinita's husband Lalit Kumar, his father Soran Singh, mother Ram Murti of the charges of murder, harassment for dowry and destruction of evidence. Lalit's brother Devender and his wife Urmila were acquitted of the charge of harassment.

"Undoubtedly, deceased Vinita committed suicide and there may be so many reasons to commit suicide and every suicide committed by any married woman at her matrimonial home, within seven years of her marriage, does not raise the presumption of dowry death in the absence of any harassment and torture on such married woman for or in connection with dowry demands, soon before her death," the judge said.

According to the police, Vinita was found hanging at her matrimonial house on April 11, 2011 and a case was lodged against her husband and in-laws for harassing and murdering her.

The victim's parents had told the police that Vinita had got married to Lalit in July 2009 and after 15 days of their marriage, the accused had started harassing and torturing her for dowry and were demanding a car.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/husband-4-family-members-acquitted-in-dowry-harassment-case-113062800680_1.html