Summary:
NEW DELHI: Unnatural death of a woman within seven years of marriage doesn’t automatically make it a dowry death even if relations between the couple were strained, Delhi high court has held. But the husband highlighted the statement of his father-in-law to police that there was never any demand for dowry from the deceased or any harassment on account of dowry. Requirement of both Sections 304-B and 498-A is harassment or demand for dowry”.Elaborating, the court stressed that even for Section 304-B IPC to be valid, two things must be established by the prosecution. She complained that the woman complained to her that nobody in the matrimonial house would give any importance to what she had to say. While the trial court concluded these allegations were enough to slap dowry death charges, HC underlined that “these allegations would not satisfy the requirements of Section 498A or 304B”.As per the FIR, neither the husband nor his family ever demanded dowry but used to harass the wife only because they did not like her..