MANOHAR LAL Vs. STATE OF PUNJAB

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner Manohar Lal (father-in-law of the complainant) has filed this petition seeking grant of regular bail in a case registered against him vide FIR No.60 dated 20.4.2017 under Sections 304-B/120 IPC (subsequently, Section 304-B was replaced with Section 302 IPC and Section 498-A IPC was invoked additionally) at Police Station Samana, District Patiala.

(2.) The FIR was registered at the instance of Harpreet Singh wherein it has been alleged that his sister Jatinder Kaur was married to Surinder Pal in the year 2007 and his father had given dowry as per his means but his sister's husband as well as other members of his family i.e. his father and mother used to continuously harass her in order to press upon their demand of more dowry. It is alleged that when complainant's father retired in the year 2013 from BSNL, he had given an amount of Rs. 5 lacs to complainant's 'jija' (brother-in-law) and subsequently, after death of his father even the complainant had given an amount of Rs. 2 lacs to his brother-in-law (sister's husband) and had also purchased an Activa scooter for him apart from two mobiles. It is further stated therein that a gold bangle weighing three tolas was also given to his brother-in-law Surinder Pal but the accused kept on harassing her sister. On 19.4.2017, upon her sister having called them telephonically, the complainant and his wife went to his sister's house where they met Surinder Pal, husband of complainant's sister who hurled abuses at them. However, after reasoning out with his sister's in laws, they returned back home. On the next morning, they received a phone call at about 5 a.m. that Jatinder Kaur had set herself on fire. Upon receipt of said information, the complainant, his wife and parents immediately rushed to matrimonial home of his sister where they came to know that his sister had died and her dead body was lying in Civil Hospital.

(3.) The learned counsel for the petitioner has submitted that even as per perusal of FIR, it is Surinder Pal, husband of deceased, against whom specific allegations regarding demand of dowry have been levelled and that the petitioner is being roped in simply on the basis of vague and general allegations.