In Brief
A woman married into a family committed suicide within months of marriage. The State prosecuted the husband and mother-in-law for cruelty and abetting suicide. The trial court convicted them, but the High Court acquitted them. The Supreme Court upheld the acquittal. The Court found that the prosecution failed to prove cruelty beyond reasonable doubt. Witnesses made contradictory statements and improvements in court not mentioned to police. Critically, the postmortem showed no physical injuries. The Court held that mere suicide at in-laws' place does not establish cruelty; cogent evidence is required. Without credible proof of mental or physical torture, the legal presumption of cruelty cannot apply.
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