DEV PRASAD Vs. STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Heard learned counsel for the petitioner and learned Government Counsel.

(2.) The offence of dowry death under Section 304-B, IPC was only introduced in the Statute Book in the year.1986. Before 1986 dowry death cases were very rare. Now, the position has changed. Everyday several cases relating to dowry death are coming before us, which shows that this is a social phenomenon which has spread like cancer and is making our society barbaric.

(3.) In our country when a young girl comes after her marriage to her sasural she comes into a new environment where everyone is a stranger to her. She leaves behind all her relations and friends in her maika and comes to her husband's house bewildered, diffident and apprehensive. At that time she needs a lot of love and affection from her-in-laws because she is beginning a new life. However, what is often happening in our society is that the moment a young girl comes to her sasural her harassment begins by her-in-laws who start demanding more and more dowry and inflict all types of the atrocities on her for this purpose. The girl's father out of love for his daughter has no succumb to these demands, but even then very often the girl is killed. The reason for this is that very often the husband or the father of the husband kills the girl so that the boy may be married again to some other girl and the same process may begin again. This barbaric attitude is only due to the lust for money, which has spread all over our society.