Husband, in-laws acquitted

CHANDIGARH, Nov 13: Nearly three years after housewife Raj Bansal and her minor son died of poisoning, UT District and Sessions Judge B.S. B...

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CHANDIGARH, Nov 13: Nearly three years after housewife Raj Bansal and her minor son died of poisoning, UT District and Sessions Judge B.S. Bedi has acquitted her husband and in-laws in a dowry death and a murder case.

Raj Bansal, married to Sunil Bansal, proprietor of a showroom selling sarees in Sector 17 — nearly three years before the incident — had died at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, along with her son Akash, in September 1995.

Subsequently, Sunil Bansal, besides in-laws Jai Chand Bansal and Kanta Bansal, were booked by the Chandigarh Police for murder, dowry death, subjecting a married women to cruelty and criminal conspiracy on her Panipat based-businessman father Jogi Ram’s complaint.

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In his statement before the police, Jogi Ram had alleged that his daughter had telephonically informed him regarding her being harassed by the accused for bringing insufficient dowry. He had also alleged that the father-in-law had called him up demanding Rs 5 lakh for renovating and opening a showroom. He, however, had expressed inability to comply with their wishes, Jogi Ram had added.

The accused, when confronted with the incriminating evidence against them, had, however, denied the allegations. Pleading innocence they had claimed a trial.

Seeking their release on bail, the defence counsel had stated that the trio were being implicated in the case. They had added that it was not a case of dowry death, as maintained by Raj Bansal’s father, but of suicide.

Arguing before the Judge, the counsel had stated that the deceased being short tempered had consumed "celphos" after Sunil Bansal had failed to arrange birthday celebrations for son Akash.

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To substantiate their contentions, the defence counsel had also examined next door neighbour Dr Harinder Singh Malhotra as he had taken Raj Bansal to the PGI after she had consumed the poison. The counsel had also refuted the prosecution’s contention regarding their ever demanding dowry.