Mumbai: A man was sentenced to three-year jail by Delhi court for subjecting his wife to cruelty to coerce her to meet his dowry demands, which forced her to commit suicide within a one-and-a-half year of their marriage.
Additional Sessions Judge Deepak Garg convicted 30-year-old Pradeep under section 498A of IPC (husband or his relative’s wife for cruelty) and imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on him.
According to the prosecution, Renu and Pradeep were married in 2014 and the victim’s in-laws did not demand any dowry at the time of marriage.
Only two months after the marriage, her in-laws demanded money for this excuse that due to the expenditure incurred for the wedding, they got into debt.
Victims mother stated that she had given Rs 50,000, Rs 40,000 and Rs 10,000 to Pradeep on different occasions. She had told the court that her daughter was beaten and harassed to coerce her to meet their growing demands for money.
The court, however, acquitted Pradeep for the crime of dowry murder. It also acquitted Renu’s mother-in-law from all charges.
“It proves that Renu (wife) was being cruel in her marriage and she was harassed to force her and her parents to fulfil the said illegal demand of money. And therefore Sandeep has been convicted of the accused. ” Crime under Section 498A IPC, “the court said.
An FIR was lodged against Pradeep and his mother from Budh Vihar in northwest Delhi, for harassing dowry and for taking action against the common man.
(With PTI Inputs)
