A city court in Ghaziabad has sentenced a man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for the murder of his wife over dowry demands. The convict, Jahangir Khan, a resident of Teelamore, was also awarded an additional three years of rigorous imprisonment for subjecting the victim to physical and mental torture, along with a fine of Rs 10,000. The two sentences will run concurrently. The case pertains to the death of Saina, who was killed four years ago. Khan was initially a co-accused along with his parents, both of whom died during the course of the hearing.
Court's Observations
Additional District and Sessions Judge Nitendra Kumar, delivering the verdict on Friday, stated that Khan committed the crime of demanding dowry and cruelty against his wife Saina, and subsequently murdered her for dowry within approximately one and a half months of their marriage. The court noted that while there was no special reason to sentence the accused to life imprisonment, imposing the minimum sentence was also not justified. The judge ruled that sentencing him to the maximum punishment prescribed for the crimes of demanding dowry and cruelty would serve the ends of justice. Consequently, Khan was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 304B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and three years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine under Section 498A of the IPC.
Background of the Case
An FIR was registered at the Teelamore police station on April 15, 2022, based on a complaint filed by the victim's father, Amaruddin Ansari. He accused his son-in-law Jahangir Khan and his parents, Ameerul Haq and Zareena, of torturing his daughter for dowry and either pushing her to death from the eighth floor of their flat or abetting her suicide early that morning. Ansari stated that his daughter Saina had called him the previous night, informing him about the physical and mental torture she was enduring, and he was supposed to pick her up the next day.
Investigation and Charges
The police registered a case under Sections 304B and 498A of the IPC, along with Section 3/4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act. A chargesheet was filed against the three accused on May 14, and the court framed charges on September 15 of the same year. During the trial, it was revealed that after the marriage was finalized, Saina had transferred Rs 50,000 to Jahangir via PhonePe. Later, when the accused demanded a motorcycle at the time of the marriage, her father gave him Rs 1 lakh in cash. The harassment for dowry continued even after the marriage.
Incident Details
A few days before the incident, Saina returned to her parents' home and told her mother, Gulshan Begum, about the threats from her husband and in-laws for dowry. Subsequently, Jahangir took her back on April 10, assuring her that she would not be harassed anymore. On April 14, Saina called her mother crying, informing her that her mother-in-law had reprimanded her for receiving a small dowry. Her mother promised to visit the next day to discuss the matter. However, on April 15, Jahangir physically assaulted Saina and then threw her from the eighth floor, resulting in her death.
Legal Findings
The court held that the charges against Jahangir under Sections 498A and 304B of the IPC were proved beyond a reasonable doubt. However, the alternative charge under Section 306 of the IPC (abetment of suicide) was not proved, as no evidence emerged that the accused instigated the deceased to commit suicide for any reason other than harassing her for dowry demands. Therefore, the court found Jahangir not guilty under Section 306, but his complicity in murdering his wife under Section 304B was established beyond reasonable doubt.
