Five acquitted in dowry death

A Delhi court here has acquitted a man and his four family members of the charges of driving his wife to commit suicide for dowry.

A Delhi court here has acquitted a man and his four family members of the charges of driving his wife to commit suicide for dowry.

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Additional Sessions Judge Kamini Lau let off five North West Delhi residents of the charges of causing dowry death, questioning the tolerance of the victim's family to the harassments meted out to her.

Noting that they did not speak up about her harassments even after her death, the judge pointed out that unless the victims' families stand by them and report such instances of dowry demands and harassment well within time, there is little that the courts and other agencies can do. "In our society, the desirability of continuing in a torturous relationship is considered more important than the life of a woman. I wonder why after a woman is married, her own family disowns her and refuses to stand by her when she is alive but cries foul when she is no more," ASJ Lau said.

The court freed victim's husband Kapil Mudgil, his parents Deepak and Kusumlata and his siblings Kirti and Himanshu of the charges of subjecting his newly-married wife to cruelty and driving her to commit suicide.

"Even after her death, her family members did not inform the SDM or the investigating officer about the instances of harassment in the same way as they are doing now," Lau said.