In Brief
A woman committed suicide in 2013 after alleged harassment by her husband's family over dowry demands. The father-in-law (appellant) was convicted of cruelty and assault. On appeal, the Supreme Court acquitted him. The conviction rested solely on the father of the deceased's (PW-1) testimony that the mother (PW-4) had informed him of assaults, but PW-4 herself did not testify to any such violence. The Court held that uncorroborated testimony cannot sustain conviction, especially where the alleged informant does not corroborate the account. Since the co-accused family members were acquitted, the appellant stood on equal footing and was entitled to acquittal.
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