NARESH RAMKRUSHNAJI CHIKANKAR Vs. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) By this appeal, appellant is challenging judgment and order dated 26.2.2010 passed by the 5th Adhoc Additional Sessions Judge, Nagpur in Sessions Trial No. 263 of 2009 whereby appellant has been convicted for the offences punishable under Sections 498A and 306 of the Indian Penal Code and on each count he is sentenced to suffer rigorous imprisonment for three years and pay a fine of Rs. 200/-, in default, to suffer simple imprisonment for one month.

(2.) Appellant was accused No. 1 while accused No. 2 was his mother Parvatabai and accused No. 3 Suresh was his brother who have been acquitted.

(3.) Appellant No. 1 was married to deceased Mangala on 15.4.2001. As per the report dated 1.8.2008 lodged by Ranjit Mukindrao Belekar, his sister Mangala was treated well for three years at the matrimonial home, but thereafter accused started asking Mangala to bring money from her mother and on that count, they used to beat her and torture her. Mangala had disclosed about the ill-treatment meted out to her when she had come to parental home in Diwali 2007. Efforts made by Manoj, younger brother of first informant and others to pursuade the accused, failed. On 31.7.2008 he came to know telephonically that his sister had died of drowning in a well. It was alleged in the report that Mangala had committed suicide owing to the ill-treatment at the hands of accused persons. After investigation, police filed charge-sheet against the accused for the offences punishable under Sections 498A and 306 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code.