‘Not Every Woman’s Suicide Due To Harassment’: Court Acquits Husband, In-Laws
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The court rejected the testimonies of crucial witnesses, including the woman’s mother, three brothers and sister saying it was marred by ”inconsistencies, improvements and bald allegations”.
The order therefore found substantial improvements in their statements having a damaging effect as they were not a part of the previous statements. (Representative image)
A Delhi court has acquitted a man and his family members in the suicidal death case of his wife allegedly due to dowry demands and said there was no presumption every suicide by a married woman was due to harassment.
Additional sessions judge Vishal Pahuja was hearing the case against the husband and his relatives, against whom the Malviya Nagar police station registered a case for the penal provisions of dowry death and cruelty to a married woman.
The verdict dated December 18 said, “In view of the tainted and blemished testimony of the prosecution witnesses and due to lack of cogent evidence lead on the record, this court is of the view that prosecution has miserably failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.” It acquitted the accused persons of the charges and said they were entitled to the benefit of the doubt.
According to the prosecution, the couple married in February 2012, and she was driven to suicide due to cruelty and dowry demand by the husband’s family in September.
The court rejected the testimonies of crucial witnesses, including the woman’s mother, three brothers and sister saying it was marred by “inconsistencies, improvements and bald allegations”.
The order therefore found “substantial improvements” in their statements having a “damaging effect” as they were not a part of the previous statements.
The court noted in the deceased’s diary, there was not a single allegation of dowry demand or harassment or cruelty against the accused persons, nor had she held anyone responsible for her death in the suicide note.
The arguments of the complainant’s lawyer need to explain why she died by suicide, said the court.
The judge however said the accused persons were not obliged to explain the reasons, particularly when the prosecution failed to establish the case’s “foundational facts”.
Citing a 2010 verdict of the Delhi High Court the judge said, “There is no presumption that every suicide committed by a married woman in her in-laws’ house or at her parents’ house has to be because she was suffering harassment at the hands of her husband or her in-law. Suicides are committed by living human beings for various reasons…” The court’s verdict went on to observe, “It is well well-known maxim that the men may speak lies but the circumstances do not. In the instant case, (diary) writings by the deceased clearly shows that accused loved the deceased and vice-versa during her lifetime and she had also not complained against him or against other accused persons.” It said the only fact of unnatural death in the matrimonial home within seven years of marriage was not in itself sufficient to convict the accused persons.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
