A Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court in Sambalpur has convicted a man and his family members for subjecting his wife to prolonged physical and mental cruelty. The court, based on testimony from six witnesses and documentary evidence, sentenced each of the convicts to one year of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 under Sections 498A/34 of the Indian Penal Code. In default of payment, they will undergo an additional month of simple imprisonment.
Under Sections 323/34 IPC, the court also imposed one month of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 500 each, with a two-day default sentence. All sentences are to run concurrently.
Judicial Magistrate First Class Brajesh Mishra found husband Hridananda Tripathy (58), brother-in-law Bhima (alias Bhimasen, 55), and sister-in-law Anandini (49) guilty of cruelty and assault on complainant Saudamini Tripathy. All are residents of Tentulikurla village under Dhama police limits.
According to case records, Saudamini, a resident of Dhanupali, married Hridananda on February 16, 1997. The prosecution stated that soon after marriage, she was subjected to harassment over dowry demands and for not conceiving a child, forcing her to take shelter at her parental home for some time. The harassment allegedly continued even after the birth of a son in 2014.
The prosecution further stated that Bhimasen assaulted her with a bicycle chain, affecting her hearing. She was also allegedly confined, denied food, and kept away from her child. In 2017, Saudamini was rescued by her family and admitted to VIMSAR, Burla. She later lodged an FIR at the Sambalpur Women Police Station on January 7, 2021.
Police registered a case, arrested the accused, and filed a chargesheet on February 26, 2021, following which the trial began. The court had reserved its judgment after hearing arguments last Friday and delivered the verdict a week later.
