The Madras High Court recently declined to suspend the jail term granted to a couple in a dowry death case, refusing disputation that there was no probability of the couple having strained their departed daughter-in-law as they lived separately but the court added that there were substances to show that the in-laws had been barbaric to and asked for dowry to their daughter-in-law. Justice P Velmurugan observed that suicides by women for the cause of dowry torture are increasing nowadays. The observations were made in a case with reference to the death of a woman by suicide in 2017, purportedly payable to her being physically harassed and beaten for dowry by her better half and in-laws. All the three accused were proven guilty of particular offenses in the trial court. The in-laws were found guilty under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code although they were discharged from Section 304B of the Indian Penal Code. As a result, there were sentenced to imprisonment for two years and Rs. 5000 fine.
