Excelsior Correspondent
POONCH, July 10: Principal Sessions Judge Poonch Tahir Khurshid Raina has awarded rigorous imprisonment to parents-in-law for abetment to suicide of daughter-in-law.
The case titled State Versus Akhtar Hussain Shah and others was based on a FIR No.48 of 2006 registered at Police Station Gursai under Sections 306, 498-A and 201 RPC. The FSL report has proved that woman had died due to poison.
Even the witnesses were consistent in their statements before the police as well as court that few months after marriage the torture of woman was started at her matrimonial home, which finally culminated into suicide by her.
Relying on the evidence of related witnesses, the court held that deceased was the victim of physical and mental cruelty. “In such like offences related witnesses especially the mother and father are the most natural witnesses whose deposition cannot be ignored unless there are compelling reasons for the same”, the court said.
“As there was consistent evidence of torture and harassment that too within seven years of marriage at the matrimonial home, presumption of death by abetment against co-accused as per Section 114- C Evidence Act has to be drawn against co-accused”, the court said while convicting mother in law, father in law and brother in law of the deceased and acquitting the husband of the deceased.
The court awarded six years rigorous imprisonment to convicts for commission of offence under Section 306 RPC, two years RI under Section 498-A RPC and two years under Section 201 RPC with a fine of Rs 5000 each. “All the sentences to run concurrently”, the court clarified.
Before parting with the judgment, Principal Sessions Judge Tahir Khurshid Raina observed, “parents in law must know that when they bring daughter in law at their home they have not brought bonded labourer against some consideration . She is a human being who is entitle to all respect, dignity and comfort”.
“Parents should only exercise their right of addressing their problems and other household needs on their son and not on daughter in law. If she does any house hold work that is only on account of her love and respect for matrimonial relation but not as bonded labourer”, the court further said, adding “every newly married lady has lot of fantasies and beautiful expectations in mind which she has linked with her matrimonial life which when shatters by torture at matrimonial home, her castle of dreams break and she gets compelled to end her life”.
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