In a significant verdict, the Telangana High Court has acquitted a family of five, setting aside their life imprisonment sentences in a high-profile dowry death case from Vikarabad dating back to 2011. The court ruled that the prosecution failed to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Court Cites Lack of Proof for Dowry Harassment Link
A division bench comprising Justices K Lakshman and Vakiti Ramakrishna Reddy delivered the judgment while hearing the criminal appeal filed by the convicts. The bench overturned the 2016 order of a Vikarabad trial court which had sentenced the woman's husband, his parents, his sister, and his brother-in-law to life imprisonment.
The case originated in August 2011 when the woman died by suicide, approximately 15 months after her marriage. Her father had initially alleged that she was harassed for an additional dowry of ₹2 lakh.
Legal Hurdles in Prosecution's Case
The High Court bench provided a detailed legal reasoning for the acquittal. It emphasized that to establish an offence under Section 304-B (dowry death) of the Indian Penal Code, the prosecution must prove that the deceased was subjected to cruelty or harassment "soon before her death" and that a clear, perceptible nexus exists between the death and the dowry-related harassment.
"Evidence of cruelty and harassment is not sufficient to bring in application of Section 304-B of the IPC," the bench observed. It noted that if a significant time gap exists between the alleged harassment and the death, the court cannot assume the cruelty was the immediate cause.
Key Flaws and Contradictions Noted
The judgment pointed out several critical shortcomings in the prosecution's case:
- The prosecution did not examine any independent witnesses to corroborate the demand for additional dowry.
- No "panchayat" or community meetings were held to address the alleged disputes, which is often a precursor in such matters.
- The court found significant improvements and contradictions in the testimonies of the deceased woman's family members when compared to their initial statements to the police.
- The woman's father admitted he never lodged a formal police complaint about the harassment prior to her death.
- The bench also noted that the sister-in-law and her husband lived separately in Hyderabad and were only visiting for a festival, weakening the case of sustained harassment.
Verdict Brings Legal Closure After 13 Years
Concluding that the allegations of the woman taking her life due to dowry harassment were not legally proven, the court allowed the appeals. It set aside the 2016 trial court judgment and acquitted all five accused.
This ruling underscores the stringent legal requirements for convicting someone under the dowry death provision and highlights the necessity for concrete, timely, and corroborative evidence to establish a direct link between harassment and death.
