7-year sentence for husband and mother-in-law

NEW DELHI, December 8: Passing judgment on a five-year-old dowry-related death case, a city court today convicted the victim's husband an...

NEW DELHI, December 8: Passing judgment on a five-year-old dowry-related death case, a city court today convicted the victim’s husband and her mother-in-law to seven years of rigorous imprisonment. The court also directed Narender Kumar and his mother Dulari to pay a fine of Rs 3,000 each in the case. The two have been sentenced under the section cruelty against women — of Indian Penal Code for two years.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) S. Gaur rejected the arguments of the defence and pronounced: “The accused have not led evidence to rebut presumption to dowry death.”

The body of the victim, Sunita, was found by the Malviya Nagar police on August 12, 1993. The police, who received a call from Sunita’s neighbours, Gyanchand and Suresh, reached house number 49, Chirag Delhi, and found her body on the bed. Preliminary investigations revealed that the body was found by the two neighbours, hanging from a ceiling fan. A case of suicide was registered by the police.

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However, a statement submitted by Sunita’s brother, Sunil, led the police to book a case of dowry-death. He informed the police that Sunita was married to Narender Kumar on February 14, 1993. He accused Narender Kumar and Dulari of harassing his sister two months after her marriage for a refrigerator and a scooter. According to the complaint, Sunita was beaten by her husband and mother-in-law when their demands were not met. Sunita was said to have reported the matter to her parents too. Her father’s statement in the court corroborated Sunil’s allegations.

Sunita was reported to have visited her parents’ house on the occasion of rakshabandhan a few days before her death. She had planned to stay the night when Dulari came and forcibly took her away. She apparently repeated her demand for the scooter and the refrigerator.

On the day of the incident, Sunita’s parents were informed by her brother-in-law that she was unwell upon which Sunil went to her house, where he was informed by neighbours Gyanchand and Suresh about the discovery of Sunita’s body.

“The prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt that Sunita was subjected to cruelty for not bringing a scooter and a refrigerator,” the Additional Sessions Judge’s order stated.