In Brief
A husband filed a private complaint under Section 200 Cr.P.C. against his wife and another man for contracting a bigamous marriage while their marriage was subsisting. The trial court convicted both under Section 494 IPC to one year rigorous imprisonment and Rs. 2,000 fine each. The First Appellate Court reversed the conviction. The High Court restored the conviction but imposed only 'imprisonment till rising of court' and Rs. 20,000 fine. The Supreme Court held that while this sentence is legally permissible, it is unconscionably lenient for a serious offence. Applying the principle of proportionality in sentencing, the Court enhanced the sentence to six months simple imprisonment each and restored the fine to Rs. 2,000, balancing the gravity of bigamy against the young age of the child born to the convicts.
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