In Brief
A wife died by hanging within ten months of marriage. Her father lodged an FIR alleging murder by the husband and parents, citing dowry harassment. Police found it to be suicide and charged only the husband with abetting suicide. The father applied to the Magistrate to take cognizance against the parents too, but this was rejected. The father then renewed the same application before the Sessions Court, which accepted it. The parents challenged this. The Supreme Court dismissed their appeal, holding that while cognizance can generally be taken only once, the Sessions Court had exercised proper revisional jurisdiction and afforded the parents adequate opportunity to be heard, making the order permissible despite the Magistrate's prior refusal.
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