RAMNARESH SAHU & ANOTHER Vs. STATE OF MP

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This appeal is directed against the judgment of conviction and sentence dated 3.4.1998 passed by the Additional Sessions Judge, Surajpur, District Surguja in ST No.352/96 whereby learned Additional Sessions Judge convicted the appellants under Section 304-B/498A of the IPC and sentenced them to undergo Rl for 7 years respectively.

(2.) The appellants have been convicted for causing dowry death and committing cruelty by demanding dowry with respect to deceased Savita.

(3.) Case of the prosecution, in short, is that deceased Savita, younger daughter of PW-4 Govind, was married to appellant No.1 Ramnaresh about one year prior to the date of occurrence i.e. 21.4.96. At the time of marriage, he had gifted bicycle, watch and utensils. The deceased used to stay for some days in her marital home and thereafter she kept on visiting her parental house and going back to the marital house. During this period, appellant No.1 Ramnaresh used to demand TV and tape recorder whereas appellant No.2 Gulbi Bai used to pressurize her for bringing food-grains from her parental house. The deceased used to inform about this to her parents Anju and Balgovind and to her brother Manikchand as well. However, they demonstrated their inability to fulfill the demand on account of poverty. About 10 days prior to the date of incident, appellant Ramnaresh had brought her back to his house. When the appellants had gone to visit the neighbourhood at 8 pm on 21.4.96, deceased Savita Bai committed suicide by hanging. She had bolted the door from inside. Appellant Ramnaresh tried to open the door but having failed, he used stairs to climb up and then come down to the bedroom from alternative way and found his wife hanging.