In Brief
A woman died of burn injuries in her in-laws' house. The trial court convicted four family members—the husband, father-in-law, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law—for dowry death under Section 304B read with Section 34 IPC. The High Court upheld the convictions of all except the father-in-law. On appeal, the Supreme Court found that the sister-in-law and brother-in-law lived in a different village (Sabutar), not with the deceased (Kali Prasad Tola). Multiple defence witnesses and public documents (residence certificate, PAN, service book) corroborated this separation. Without evidence of their presence or any specific role assigned in the FIR, common intention could not be established. The Court set aside their conviction and acquitted them, finding the charge not proved beyond reasonable doubt.
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