VINOD KUMAR JAIN Vs. STATE OF U P

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS writ petition had been filed with the prayer for quashing the First Information Report dated 15 -7 -2002, Annexure 1 to the petition under Sections 498 -A/223/506/307 I.P.C. (which was subsequently converted to Section 302 I.P.C.) of Police Station New Mandi, District Muzaffarnagar. The First Information Report has been filed by Hari Om Agarwal father of the deceased Smt. Anita alias Anju.

(2.) IN the First Information Report it is mentioned that the First Informant had given a lot of dowry on his daughters marriage. On several occasions Smt. Anita was harassed by her in -laws who demanded more dowry and often beat her and gave her tortures. Smt. Anita has two daughters and has no son and this was another reason why she was abused by her mother -in -law. On 14 -7 -2002 at about 4.00 p.m. Smt. Anita informed her father that her husband Vinod Jain, husband's brother Rajneesh Jain and mother -in -law Javitri Devi had beaten Smt. Anita and demanded Rs. 50,000 as dowry failing which she would be killed. The first informant collected some money and reached the house of his son -in -law where he met his daughter's husband and mother -in -law. When the first informant enquired about his daughter they were at first reluctant to inform him, but thereafter informed that she was burnt and was in Meerut Bharat Hospital. The first informant reached the hospital where he was told that she had been taken to Safdarganj Hospital, Delhi. Then the first informant reached Safdarganj Hospital and found she was in the Intensive Care Unit. She was conscious at that time and on seeing him she told him that he had reached too late because on the evening on 14 -7 -2002 she was caught by her mother -in -law and her husband Vinod Jain poured some inflammable liquid on top of her from a canister and her brother -in -law applied a lighted match and Smt. Anita was burnt. It appears that subsequently Anita died.

(3.) CRIMES against women have shot up in our country and time has come when they must be dealt with an iron hand. The crimes of the nature mentioned in the first information are not ordinary crimes committed in a fit of anger or for property. They are social crimes and they tend to disrupt the entire social fabric. They outrage the modern conscience, and the whole of society reverts to feudal barbarism. Hence much harsher punishment should be given for crimes against women as compared to other crimes.