RAMPAL Vs. STATE OF UTTARAKHAND

JUDGEMENT

(1.) ACCUSED Rampal (A1, husband), Dujja (A2, father -in -law), Smt. Kala (A3, mother -in -law) and Smt. Dhanwati (A4, Jethani i.e. wife of elder brother of A1) were tried by the learned Additional Sessions Judge, Hardwar and on dated 14.8.2003, they all were found guilty for the offences of Section 304B IPC and Section 3/4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act. This Sessions Trial No. 231/2001 pertains to the Crime No. 31/2001, PS Jhabrera, District Hardwar. They all have appropriately been sentenced.

(2.) LEARNED Counsel of the appellants has apprised that convict Rampal (A1) was released from detention after serving out the complete sentence awarded to him and even further after release he has committed suicide. So, he is no more. Thus, now the present appellants A2, A3 and A4 are before the Court challenging the impugned judgment of conviction passed against them.

(3.) THE most significant witness to prove that Smt. Rakhi was subjected to the demand of dowry by the accused persons is PW2 Smt. Kaushalya, who has levelled the charges of demand of dowry from her daughter by all the four accused persons with their specific names. She has stated that all these persons demanded Hero Honda motorcycle and rupees fifty thousand cash after the marriage and these facts of demand from the mouth of the accused persons were disclosed by her daughter on each and every time when she came to her parents house. It has been stated by her that within ten months after the marriage and before her death, she visited her parental home 5 -6 times and the victim even stated the beating and torture by her husband and A4. The allegations of demand of dowry has equally been proved by PW1 Babu Ram, the real uncle of the deceased who was also apprised by the deceased regarding such demand as her father PW4 was employed somewhere in Gujarat in the Government Service. So PW1, the real uncle who was like a father of the deceased, was the only male member heading the house and who was told by the deceased regarding the demand of dowry by all the four accused persons.