GOLO DEVI Vs. STATE OF HARYANA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This is a Criminal Miscellaneous Application whereby Golo Devi alias Sunita, daughter of Shri Chaman LaL, has prayed for the grant of bail to her in case F.I.R. No. 305 dated 8.9.1998, registered under Sections 30413/34 and 498-A of the Indian Penal Code at Police Station, Kalanwali, District Sirsa.

(2.) The prosecution case, in brief, is that Smt. Anita Rani was married to Sandeep Kumar son of Shri Chaman Lal, seven months prior to 8.9.1998. Her brother had spent about Rs. four lacs on the marriage of Anita Rani. After one month of marriage, her mother-in-law Sheela Rani, sister-in-law Golo Devi and her husband Sandeep Kumar started harassing her and taunting her saying that she had brought inadequate dowry. Sheela Rani and Golo Devi began saying that they were getting offers of rich parents and that Anita Rani's parents had given them to lame girl. Anita Rani's brother Pawan Kumar, father Rachhpal Chand and their relation Municipal Commissioner Chaman Lal, advised Anita and went to Anita Rani's matrimonial home twice or thrice. They told them that they had given dowry worth Rs. four lacs which was beyond their financial capacity. At the time of departure of Doli, list of articles of dowry was given to Sheela Rani and Golo Devi so that articles of dowry could be handed over to Anita Rani in her in-laws house.

(3.) On 6.9.1998, Pawan Kumar, Rachhpal Chand their relation Chaman Lal, Municipal Commissioner, Kalanwali, mother-in-law of his sister, her sister-in-law and his brother-in-law went to Sandeep Kumar so as to prevail upon him to adjust with Anita Rani. They told them that they had given them a lame girl and that if they gave them Rs. two lacs as dowry, they could keep Anita Rani with them and if they could not give them Rs. two Lacs, they could take Anita Rani with them. They further told them that they were getting number of offers for Sandeep Kumar. Anita Rani told them weepingly that her life was miserable and that she was not given food. They tried to prevail upon them to treat her with love and affection. They requested them to grant him some time so that they could fulfil their demand to some extent though they would not be able to fulfil their demand in its entirety. On 8.9.1998, they were informed at their village by Tarsem Lal, the mediator of this marriage that Anita Rani had got burnt. Thereupon, he Rachhpal Chand and Chaman Lal, Municipal Commissioner, Kalanwali reached Civil Hospital, Sirsa at about 8.00 P.M. Anita Rani told them that her mother-in-law Sheela Devi, sister-in-law Golo Devi and her husband Sandeep Kumar had repeatedly taunted her for not bringing Rs. two lacs as dowry and being unable to bear the mal-treatment/ill-treatment to which she was being subjected to, she had put kerosene on her and had set herself ablaze so as to put an end to her life. She further told them that under pressure of her husband, mother-in-law and sister-in-law, she had made statement that she had caught fire due to spilling of Kerosene from the stove and in fact she had set herself ablaze due to the mal-treatment/ill-treatment to which she was being subjected to on account of their demand for Rs. two Lacs, having not been fulfilled by them.