KAUSHIK DAS Vs. STATE OF TRIPURA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THE claimed real life story is of love, akin only to what is called platonic love-a young man married a dark ugly young woman not for any material gain but for love and deep love only, against the wishes of his parents; never mind, he be driven out from his parental house and outcast by his family; prepared to live with his beloved most wife in a rented house happily.

(2.) BUT the prosecution story is otherwise. The Accused, Kaushik Das married Haimanti Das some time in the year 2002. The informant Shanti Ranjan Das, father of Haimanti, on demand from the groom side, had to pay Rs. 1. 00 lakh in cash with steel almirah, freeze, sofa, gas oven and other articles along with 8 bori of gold ornaments etc. The accused-appellant and Haimanti lived together a happy nuptial life. After three months, she was tortured by her father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law and sister-in-law pressing her to bring more money for purchasing a maruti vehicle. Haimanti informed her father. The informant paid some amount for purchasing a maruti vehicle yet they did not stop torturing her. Later she was driven out from the matrimonial house with her husband. Then Haimanti began to live with her husband in a rented house at Santirbazar. His son-in-law Kaushik requested him to pay some amount to open a medicine shop. Accordingly, the informant paid Rs. 50,000/- to the accused Kaushik. But after payment of the said amount also, the torture continued. Haimanti informed the informant about this fact of torture. On 4. 11. 2003, when the daughter of the informant, Haimanti was at the advanced stage of nine months pregnancy, accused Kaushik set fire on her. With burn injury, she was taken to Santirbazar hospital and then to Udaipur T. S. District Hospital. From Udaipur, she was referred to G. B. Hospital, Agartala. In the G. B. Hospital Haimanti gave birth of a dead male baby on 11. 11. 2003 and died on 12. 11. 2003. After her death, Santi Ranjan Das (informant) submitted a written complaint.

(3.) A session case No. ST 27 (ST/b) of 2005 was registered and the case was endorsed to Additional Sessions Judge, West Tripura for trial and adjudication. On committal, the learned trial court framed charges against the accused-persons namely (1) Sri Kaushik Das; (2) Sri Chitta Ranjan Das; (3) Sri Dipak Das; (4) Smt. Sandhya Rani Das; (5) Kumari Sutapa Das and (6) Smt. Sucheta Das. The charges being read over and explained to the accused persons pleaded not guilty and claimed trial.