RAJENDRAN Vs. STATE REP

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The appellants herein challenge their conviction recorded by the Additional Sessions Judge. The first appellant has been held guilty of the offence under Sec.302 I.P.C. and sentenced to undergo life imprisonment while the second accused, who is the mother of the first accused, has been held guilty of the offence under Sec.498-A I.P.C. and has been sentenced to undergo one year rigourous imprisonment and also the fine of Rs.1000/-.

(2.) The appeal is nothing but a sordid story of what the newly married girls have to undergo in the name of preserving the marriage. Deceased Vanitha was married to the first appellant Rajendran. Second appellant Nagammal is her mother-in-law. After the marriage, the second appellant kept on pestering Vanitha for bringing three sovereigns of gold from her parents. Vanitha’s family could give only one and a half sovereigns of gold at the time of marriage though they had agreed to give four and a half sovereigns of gold at that time.

(3.) The incident took place on 26-10-1994 when Vanitha was residing in the house of the appellants. Vanitha could not go for the work as she was unwell. Perhaps, because her husband was away, there was again bickering between the second appellant and Vanitha on account of the dowry and, therefore, Vanitha complained to her husband after he came back from work. Flared up by this, the first appellant started beating Vanitha as she was given to complaining against her mother-in-law. Vanitha, therefore, took her child and started going to her parents’ house, which is also situated nearby. However, the child was whisked from her and she was pushed by the first appellant inside the house. Kerosene was poured by him on her and particularly on the head and body and she was set to fire with the aid of a burning lamp. Vanitha was ablaze and started crying for help. She embraced the first appellant only causing him some burn injuries. Prosecution story is that the second accused was through out the incident and she also sped away after closing the doors of the house in order to prevent Vanitha from coming out of the house.