MANJEET SINGH Vs. STATE OF HARYANA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The conspectus of the facts & material, which needs a necessary mention for the limited purpose of deciding the instant petition, for pre-arrest bail, as claimed by the prosecution and emanating from the record, is that the love marriage of complainant Shweta Pundir, daughter of Ajay Kumar (for brevity "the complainant") was solemnized with petitioner Manjeet Singh son of Gurmeet Singh, on 19.2.2003, according to Hindu rites & ceremonies. After solemnization of the marriage, she was kept in a rented accommodation at Ludhiana by the petitioner. After some time, his behaviour changed and he asked her parents to give dowry articles. Her mother came to Ludhiana and paid an amount of Rs.50,000/- to him for purchasing valuable clothes etc., but he has spent the same on fun. Her mother gave the amount to him to purchase the goods, but he used to spend the same on his enjoyment. She was taken to her in-laws' house, where she was compelled to live in one room separately from the petitioner by his parents. She used to work from morning to late night like a servant, but the behaviour of the petitioner and his parents did not change. They used to taunt and harass her on one pretext or the other. They taunted her that they were planning to marry the petitioner and would have obtained a car and other dowry articles of their choice. She borne the taunts and cruelty with the hope that the things may improve with the passage of time, but in vain. She narrated the entire tale of woe to her parents.

(2.) Sequelly, the prosecution claimed that her mother came to the in-law's house of the complainant, brought and gave the golden chain, gifts & ornaments to the petitioner. She requested the accused to behave properly, but the things did not budge. As soon as, she became pregnant, then they started misbehaving with her. They did not provide any medical facility and proper diet during the period of her pregnancy. She gave birth to a male child and her mother gave jewellery to the accused, but their attitude did not change despite receiving gold ornaments. The petitioner asked the complainant to do ILET course and her mother taken an education loan from the bank. According to the complainant that thereafter, the accused started demanding an amount of Rs.50,000/- from her. On her refusal to meet their illegal demand, they compelled her to give divorce or to fulfill their demand.

(3.) Leveling a variety of allegations and narrating the sequence of events in detail in the FIR, in all, according to the complainant that although the indicated dowry articles and cash were given at the time of marriage and after marriage, but petitioner-husband taunted, harassed, tortured and treated her with cruelty in connection with and on account of demand of dowry. The accused have refused to return and misappropriated the dowry articles of the complainant. In the background of these allegations and in the wake of statement of the complainant, the present case was registered against the petitioner, his parents and other co-accused, vide FIR No.22 dated 10.1.2014, on accusation of having committed the offences punishable under sections 498-A, 323, 406 and 506 IPC by the police of Police Station City Jagadhri, District Yamuna Nagar.