IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE FOR RAJASTHAN
AT JAIPUR BENCH JAIPUR.
S.B.CRIMINAL APPEAL No.329/2005
Ramjan & Ors. vs. State of Rajasthan
16.02.2010
HON’BLE MR.JUSTICE G.S. SARRAF
Mr.Vinay Pal Yadav, for the appellants.
Mr. Paresh Choudhary, PP for State.
Reportable:-
The accused appellants have preferred this appeal against the judgment dated 31.3.2005 passed by Additional District and Sessions Judge (Fast Track) No.2, Ajmer, Camp Beawar in sessions case no.20/04 (11/04 old number) whereby they have been convicted under Sections 498A, 304B IPC and they have been sentenced to one year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs.500/- under Section 498A IPC and under Section 304 B IPC the accused appellant Kishan has been sentenced to ten years rigorous imprisonment whereas the other two accused appellants Ramjan and Rasul have been sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment.
The case arises out of a report Ex.P.1 lodged at about 7.15 p.m. on 27.10.2003 at the police station Masooda, district Ajmer by Mishri PW.3 wherein it was alleged that ‘Muklava’ of Anita was performed with her husband Kishan (the accused appellant) and thereafter the husband told his wife that her colour was black and her parents did not give anything and, therefore, she could go elsewhere or otherwise he would kill her. When Anita came back to her parents’ house then she disclosed this to her father and brother. When the accused appellant Kishan came on leave in the month of October he became angry on seeing Anita and abused her and a few days before Diwali asked her mother and brother to give dowry or to take her back with them. Thereafter Anita was found dead on 27.10.2003. According to the post-mortem report Ex.P7 Anita died due to drowning. A case under Sections 498A, 304B IPC was registered and after necessary investigation a challan was filed against the accused appellants under Sections 498A, 302, 304B IPC. Charges under Sections 498A, 302, 304B IPC were framed against the accused appellant Kishan whereas against the accused appellants Ramjan and Rasul charges were framed under Sections 498A and Sections 302, 304B read with Section 34 IPC. The accused appellants pleaded not guilty. The prosecution examined as many as 21 witnesses whereas the accused appellants did not lead any evidence in defence. Learned trial court by the impugned judgment convicted and sentenced the accused appellants as described here-in-before. Aggrieved, the accused appellants have filed this appeal.
Heard learned counsels for the parties.
To bring a case under Section 304B IPC following ingredients are required to be established :-
(a) the death of a woman is caused by any burns or bodily injury or occurs otherwise than under normal circumstances within seven years of her marriage;
(b) it must be shown that soon before her death she was subjected to cruelty or harassment by her husband or his relatives and such cruelty or harassment must be in connection with the demand of dowry.
It is contended by learned counsel appearing for the accused appellants that in the present case the trial court has committed an error in law as well as in fact by recording the conviction of the accused appellants because according to the prosecution itself the death of the deceased occurred not within seven years of her marriage and that no demand of dowry or ill-treatment in regard to the demand of dowry has been established soon before her death or even earlier.
Umrao PW.2, who is the mother of the deceased Anita, has deposed that the marriage took place around 15 years back. No other witness of the prosecution states that the death of the deceased Anita occurred within seven years of her marriage. ‘Muklava’ is not a marriage. It has not been alleged and established that as per the custom Muklava is the marriage. Under Mohammedan Law marriage is considered to be a contract and as soon as the contract is complete it can be said that marriage has taken place.
From the statement of Umrao PW.2, it is clear that the deceased Anita died not within seven years of her marriage but about 14 years after her marriage and thus one ingredient of the offence under Section 304B IPC is clearly missing in the present case.
The second ingredient under Section 304B IPC is that it must be shown that soon before the death of the deceased Anita she was subjected to cruelty or harassment by her husband or his relative and such cruelty or harassment was in connection with the demand of dowry.
I have gone through the statements of Ramjani PW.1, Umrao PW.2, Mishri PW.3, Ismail PW.5, Naina PW.6, Ramjaan PW.9, Sita PW.10 and Jamila PW.11 very carefully. Umrao PW.2 is the most important witness as she is the mother of the deceased Anita. Umrao PW.2 nowhere states that any demand of dowry was made by any of the accused persons or that her daughter Anita was subjected to cruelty or harassment in connection with the demand of dowry. In cross-examination she states that the custom of dowry is not prevalent in their society and that the accused never made any demand of any dowry in her presence. The second most important witness is Naina PW.6 who is the real brother of the deceased Anita. He too in his examination in chief does not state that any demand of dowry was made or that the deceased Anita was subjected to cruelty in connection with any demand of dowry. He only says that the accused appellant Kishan and Rasul complained about her black colour.
Ramjan PW.9 is also the brother of the deceased Anita who deposes that the accused appellant Kishan complained to her sister that TV, Cooler and Fan were not given in the dowry. Mishri PW.3 who has lodged the report says that a demand of motorcycle was made by the accused Kishan whereas other witnesses Ramjani PW.1, Ismail PW.5, Sita PW.10 and Jamila PW.11 state that the accused complained of inadequate dowry. There are thus three different versions regarding the demand of dowry. No reliance can be placed on the contradictory statements of these witnesses and even otherwise these statements cannot be held to be trustworthy as the mother Umrao PW.2 and the brother Naina PW.6 do not say that any demand of dowry was made by the accused appellants.
Since the two ingredients have not been established, therefore, no presumption under Section 113B of the Indian Evidence Act can be drawn.
In this case I find that there is practically no evidence to the effect that the deceased Anita was subjected to cruelty by the accused appellants.
Thus the prosecution has miserably failed to prove any offence against the accused appellants.
Consequently, the appeal is allowed, the conviction and sentence recorded by the trial court are set aside and the accused appellants are acquitted of all the charges. The accused appellant Ramjan and Rasul are on bail-their personal bonds and surety bonds shall stand discharged. The accused appellant Kishan is in jail-he shall be set at liberty forthwith if not required in any other case.
(G.S. Sarraf), J.
Sanjay