Court acquits ex-army man, his son of dowry death and abetment to suicide charges

Indore, May 9 (PTI) A court in Madhya Pradesh's Indore has acquitted a 70-year-old former army personnel of the charge of abetting the suicide of his daughter-in-law for dowry citing lack of evidence.

In the order passed on May 6, the court also acquitted the ex-army man's son and the deceased woman's husband in the case, he said.

Additional sessions judge Anita Singh acquitted Shriram Rajput and his son Sanjeev Kumar Rajput (45) of the charges under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 306 (abetment to suicide) and 498-A (cruelty to a woman by her husband or husband's relative).

The septuagenarian's daughter-in-law Sangeeta committed suicide by hanging herself on September 24, 2019. She had married Sanjeev in 2006.

The cause of her suicide in the case was said to be an alleged dispute between the couple.

The court in its judgment cited different judicial precedents and said that mere mutual dispute is not enough to hold a person guilty of inciting another person to commit suicide.

Defence lawyer Amit Singh Sisodia told PTI that Shriram Rajput, who retired as a havildar from the Army, and his son Sanjeev were accused of demanding Rs 1 lakh dowry from Sangeeta and harassing her for not fulfilling the demand, leading the woman to end her life.

Despite presenting six witnesses, the prosecution could not prove this allegation against their clients, after which the court acquitted the father-son duo, he said. PTI HWP MAS NP