22 years after, HC overturns acquittal in dowry death case

JODHPUR: The Rajasthan high court has overturned an acquittal in a 22-year-old dowry death case, convicting the in-laws of a woman who died in suspicious circumstances within three years of her marriage.

- Dinesh Bothra

The division bench of Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati and Justice Madan Gopal Vyas, while pronouncing the judgment on December 6, remarked, "Since time immemorial, Indian society has stood by and cherished the values imbibed in the age-old shloka: 'Where women are honoured, there the gods rejoice.' However, the insidious specter of dowry deaths looms large, casting a pall over the dignity and autonomy of women."

The court noted, "The hurried cremation of the victim, without informing her family or the police and without conducting a post-mortem, speaks volumes of the accused's conduct and their intention to destroy evidence."