In Brief
A woman (Babli), married to Kartar Singh for 3.5 years, died of burn injuries. Her father alleged the in-laws had subjected her to torture and harassment due to a dowry demand of Rs.60,000, leading to her death. The trial court convicted the respondents (Kartar Singh, his mother Angoori Devi, and father Akhey Ram) under Sections 498A and 304B IPC. The High Court acquitted them, finding the evidence weak and lacking a proximate connection between the dowry demand and death. The Supreme Court upheld the acquittal, holding that the prosecution failed to prove the essential nexus required under Section 304B and relied on hearsay evidence instead of examining key witnesses.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.