In Brief
Soma Acharjee died from blunt force head injuries disguised as suicide by hanging. Within 15 months of marriage, her husband Gour Acharjee and in-laws tortured her over dowry demands, particularly for a motorcycle. After repeated panchayat interventions, she was found dead on 16 June 2007. Medical evidence proved homicidal hanging—the victim bore ante-mortem blunt injuries inconsistent with suicidal hanging. The appellant offered no explanation under Section 313. Applying Section 106 of the Evidence Act, where a homicidal death occurs inside a shared matrimonial home, the husband bears the burden to explain. The Supreme Court upheld conviction under Sections 302 and 498A, sentencing him to life imprisonment, holding the circumstantial chain complete and infallible.
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