SANTOSH BHARDWAJ Vs. U.T. ADMINISTRATION

JUDGEMENT

(1.) SATISH Kumar Sharma son of Om Parkash Bhardwaj was married to Suparna Sharma on 5.2.1998 as per Hindu rites. Her stay in the matrimonial home was short-lived as she stayed there till March 6, 1998. Cash, besides valuable articles, including clothes, given in dowry were entrusted to the accused at the time of marriage.

(2.) THE backdrop of the case is that Suparna Sharma was ill-treated by the accused on the very first day she had landed in the matrimonial home. Abusive language was used against her. The accused also taunted and humiliated her. In addition to this, the accused had cheated the complainant because at the time of alliance, her father was informed that Satish Kumar Sharma was married only once and he had legally divorced his wife, who has remarried. It came to light that Satish Kumar in fact was married twice. Firstly, he was married to Savita daughter of Shri Pal Sharma, resident of Jhajjar on 12.3.1986. She was ill- treated for bringing insufficient dowry. She was forced to leave the matrimonial home. After staying for nine years with her parents, she sought divorce by filing a petition in the Court of Additional Session Judge, Rohtak on January 6, 1996 and ex-parte decree was granted in her favour.

(3.) SATISH Kumar accused had filed a petition under Section 9 of the Hindu Marriage Act immediately after the bridal night on the flimsy grounds that the complainant was impotent. This fact was not divulged to her with an ulterior motive to obtain ex-parte divorce. On the contrary, till February 25, 1992 Lekhi Ram Sharma, father of Satish Kumar Sharma on the other hand, kept on conveying, on the telephone, to the family of the complainant that the complainant was in U.K. and would visit Chandigarh along with Satish Kumar Sharma shortly.