SHARDUL SINGH Vs. STATE OF RAJASTHAN

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Heard learned counsel for the parties.

(2.) The case of the prosecution is that after having the ring ceremony on 29.08.2010, with adequate arrangements for the occasion incurring an expenditure of over 2 lacs, the widow mother of the informant had the arrangements made for marriage on 18.11.2010, at Ashok Club, Jaipur; for the stay of the bridegroom at Hotel Clarks, Amer and Barat is at Hotel 1589 at 'C' Scheme, Jaipur. The total expenditure incurred in arrangements and the gifts given at various marriage ceremonies till the send off, of the bridegroom, his family members and guests was over 20 lacs. But even then the accused persons were blaming for sub-standard arrangements and food. Thereafter on reaching their home at Noida, the informant was being harassed and humiliated by her husband, mother-in-law and father-in-law for not coming to their expectations and giving insufficient dowry. The informant was told that many people were ready to give huge amount of wealth to them as the husband was highly educated and was working on a high salaried post. It was said that the accused persons were expecting to get about a crore of rupees. They had than started demanding a Honda City car and rupees 25 lacs in cash. In furtherance of said demand, the accused persons had given beating to the informant on 26.11.2010 i.e. within a week of marriage and reaching her in-laws house. She was threatened for death if demand was not fulfilled. Subsequently, the mother-in-law of the informant had asked the accused husband to give slow poison. The father-in-law had then brought some tablets and mother-in-law had forcefully put them in the mouth of the informant and the husband forced her to drink water. Consequently, the informant started become unconscious and she was made to sign some blank papers. When the informant became conscious on the next day, the father-in-law and mother-in-law had told the accused husband to take the informant to Shimla and continue to give slow poison, till the demand of Honda City car and 25 lacs is fulfilled or she would become a mental case by which they would leave her and get the accused Sandeep Singh remarried which would get them a lot of wealth.

(3.) Thereafter, the informant was taken to Shimla on 27.11.2010 and attitude of the husband remained the same. The harassment and mental torture of the wife continued as before. Thereafter, the informant had come to know from the neighbours that the husband was working on an ordinary post. The accused husband then talked to his parents on phone and informed that the informant had come to know the reality as such it was not proper to keep her with them. On 15.12.2010, she was brought back to Noida. The informant was then able to convey about the happenings to her mother. The mother and brother of the complainant went to Noida and tried to persuade the accused persons not to harass her. But both of them were ill- treated and accused persons again raised their demand. After the said incident on 18.12.2010, the accused persons told the mother of the informant to take her away otherwise she would be done to death. The mother-in-law had then brought a gun and gave it to the accused husband and asked him to murder the informant so that the entire dispute comes to an end. She said that they would get a queue of girls for him. The husband Sandeep Singh had pointed the gun towards the informant and said that they would keep her only if the demand of Honda City car and rupees 25 lacs is fulfilled.