In Brief
The State of Madhya Pradesh appealed against a High Court judgment that had acquitted the respondents (husband and father-in-law of the deceased) under Sections 304-B and 306 IPC (dowry death and abetment to suicide), though maintaining conviction under Section 498-A IPC (cruelty). The Supreme Court held that money demanded for house construction falls within the definition of 'dowry' under the Dowry Prohibition Act and must be given an expansive interpretation. The deceased, persistently harassed for ₹50,000 for house construction, died by self-immolation within seven years of marriage. The Court restored the trial court's conviction under Sections 304-B and 498-A IPC but upheld the acquittal under Section 306 IPC. The sentence was reduced from life imprisonment to seven years imprisonment for both respondents.
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