A man facing trial for cruelly treating his wife for dowry has been sentenced to two years in jail by a Delhi court which observed that as a husband it was his responsibility to keep her happy but he instead "victimised her".
Metropolitan Magistrate Ekta Gauba, while holding the man, his brother and his wife guilty of mentally and physically torturing the victim, sentenced them to two years imprisonment and also directed them to pay a compensation of Rs 5,000 each to the victim.
"The man, being the husband of complainant along with his relatives subjected her to mental and physical cruelty in order to compel her to meet their unlawful demand for dowry and her husband also wrongfully misappropriated the stridhan (wedding items) of the woman and did not return the same to her despite her demands.
"In view of the fact that the man being the husband and responsible to happily keep the complainant, has victimised and harassed her for demand of dowry and his sister-in-law being herself a woman had victimised another woman," the judge said, while convicting the accused persons and relying on the victim's statement.
"In view of the fact that the harassment of women for demand of dowry is increasing in today's scenario, they (man and relatives) do not deserve to be released on probation.
"I am of the considered view that interest of justice will be served if for the offence punishable under section 498A subjecting woman to cruelty) of the IPC, all the three persons are sentenced to simple imprisonment for a period of two years each," the judge said.
According to prosecution, the victim, who got married to the man in 2000, alleged that 15 days after her wedding, she was thrown out of her matrimonial house for not bringing sufficient dowry.
It said that her husband, who had already taken away the gifts given to her by her parents, demanded Rs one lakh and threatened not to take her back till the time the money was arranged.
After such repeated incidents for two years after marriage, the victim lodged a complaint against them and her husband, his brother and his wife were arrested.
In their defence, her husband and in-laws had contended that they were falsely implicated by the woman as she was involved in a relationship with another man and they had tried to stop her many times.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}