'Young girl fallen prey to greed for dowry', HC denies anticipatory bail to father-in-law

New Delhi, Oct 9 (PTI) The Delhi High Court has refused to grant anticipatory bail to a man accused in the dowry death case of his 20-year-old daughter-in-law, saying a young girl has allegedly fallen prey to the greed for dowry at the hands of her in-laws.

Terming it an unfortunate case, the high court said much scepticism prevails against offences relating to dowry, but this is one case where the efficacy and the necessity of such provisions is demonstrated.

"This is an unfortunate case where a young girl has allegedly fallen prey to the greed for dowry at the hands of the father-in-law and other family members," Justice Neena Bansal Krishna said in the judgment passed on Wednesday.

While dismissing the anticipatory bail plea of Sunil Kumar Singh, the father-in-law of the victim, the court considered the "gravity of the allegations of being subjected to cruelty and being compelled to drink acid while living in the matrimonial home in light of the dying declaration of the deceased, and her demise within less than two years of marriage".

Sonam, the victim, met Pankaj through social media and the couple got married in March 2023 against the wishes of her family.

She started living in her matrimonial house in Faridabad while her family severed ties with her.

According to the prosecution, Sonam consumed acid in August 2024 on the day of Raksha Bandhan at her matrimonial home and was taken to various hospitals for treatment.

The court noted that the woman's helplessness and being a captive of circumstances was evident from the fact that she had given a statement in the police station that she accidentally consumed acid.

She eventually left the matrimonial home in December 2024 and returned to her parental home from where she was admitted to a hospital as her condition was deteriorating. She died on December 25.

However, a day prior to her death, police recorded Sonam's statement at the RML Hospital, which later acquired the status of dying declaration.

In her declaration, the woman claimed she was subjected to dowry harassment at the hands of her husband and in-laws and was compelled to consume acid under the threat of killing her child.

Pankaj was arrested the same day after she died.

The court said while the father-in-law claimed that there were no acts attributable to him, and that the woman died when she was at her parental home, the victim's detailed statement given a day prior to her demise clearly spell out prima facie the atrocities and cruelty she was allegedly subjected to by the applicant, which included making her drink acid.

The court noted that Singh vehemently relied on the statement of the deceased recorded earlier by Faridabad police that she consumed acid accidently.

It said the veracity and voluntariness of that statement can only be established during trial.

"Her earlier statement is a reflection of her helplessness as she had little choice since she was living in her matrimonial home while she had no parental support," the judge said.

On Singh's claim that he took the victim to multiple hospitals for treatment and spent Rs 5-6 lakh, the court said despite being asked by a police officer to furnish those documents, the same have not been submitted till date.

"Further, the averment of the applicant of having spent Rs 5-6 lakh itself speaks of the seriousness of the damage to the organs of the deceased on account of consuming acid," the court said. PTI SKV ARI