Dowry demands not only strip women of dignity but also claim their lives: Delhi HC

The court was dealing with a plea filed by the deceased’s brother in law, sister in law and father in law seeking anticipatory bail

Dowry demands not only strip women of their dignity but, in many cases, also claim their lives, the Delhi High Court observed while rejecting anticipatory bail pleas of a father-in-law and brother-in-law in a dowry death case.

In the present case, a 25-year-old woman died by suicide at her parental home, allegedly driven by continuous dowry demands. (HT archive)

A bench of justice Swarana Kanta Sharma in her ruling delivered on Friday, remarked that incidents like these serve as grim reminders that the battle against deep-rooted social evils such as dowry and domestic violence is far from over, even in the present times.

“It is profoundly unfortunate that, even in present times, many women continue to suffer cruelty within their matrimonial homes, inter alia, for demand of dowry. Such cruelty not only robs women of their dignity but, in many tragic cases, also costs them their lives.

These incidents are a stark reminder that the fight against social evils like dowry and domestic violence is far from over,” the court maintained in its 10-page ruling.

The court was dealing with a plea filed by the deceased’s brother in law, sister in law and father in law seeking anticipatory bail.

In the present case, a 25-year-old woman died by suicide at her parental home, allegedly driven by continuous dowry demands and harassment by her in-laws, in August and got married in April, last year.

Following the incident, the woman’s mother filed an FIR under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), including charges related to dowry death and cruelty by the husband or his relatives.

The mother alleged that the woman’s father-in-law had demanded dowry at the time of marriage, including gold chains, ornaments, and ₹10 lakh in cash, while the brother-in-law continued to harass her for dowry even after the marriage.

In their petition, the individuals had argued that there were no specific allegations against them and they were falsely implicated. They argued that the marital discord was solely between the woman and her husband, and they had no involvement or connection with the dispute since they were living on different floors of the house.

The Delhi Police, opposing the bail application, argued that the woman had died under unnatural circumstances within just 15 months of her marriage. They contended that witness statements clearly indicated she had been subjected to harassment and torture over dowry demands.

Consequently, the court refused to grant anticipatory bail to the woman’s father-in-law and brother-in-law, but granted bail to her sister-in-law.