BOTUKAM NARSAIAH Vs. STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH REP

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The accused in Sessions Case No. 581 of 1994 filed this Criminal Appeal aggrieved by conviction recorded against him for the offence under Section 302 IPC and sentence of imprisonment for life.

(2.) The gravamen of the charge against the accused is that the accused subjected his wife, Botukam Padma, to ill-treatment, harassment and cruelty prior to 14-5-94 to extract dowry of Rs. 3,000/- and that on 14-5-1994 at about 10 p.m. at Nagulapet village he caused the death of his wife by pouring Kerosene on her and setting fire to her within seven years of her marriage and thereby committed offences punishable under Sections 498-A, 302 and 304-B IPC.

(3.) The case of the prosecution is as follows:- The sole accused was the husband of the deceased Botukam Padma aged about 18 years belonging to a poor family. Accused married the deceased about an year ago. At the time of the marriage, the parents (P. Ws. 1 and 2) of the deceased agreed to pay Rs. 3,000/- towards dowry but they could pay only Rs. 2,000/- at the time of the marriage and promised to pay the balance of the amount some time later. Due to their poverty, they could not pay the amount. Eversince the deceased Padma joined the accused at his house at Nagulapet, the accused started ill-treating her and treated her cruelly for not getting the balance amount of dowry. About fifteen days prior to the incident, the accused and the deceased went to Kondalawadi to attend a marriage of their relations.