MUMBAI: It's the husband's duty to support his wife and protect her if she faces harassment from her in laws, the Bombay HC has said. Twenty-one years after he was charged with driving his wife to commit suicide for failing to meet his demands for dowry, a division bench of Justice P B Majumdar and Justice Anoop Mohta upheld a trial court's order, sentencing the 52-year-old Satara resident to three years in jail.
The judges took the opportunity to advise families that they had an obligation to care for their son's brides. " Girls leave their maternal house with tearful eyes hoping that they will get love and affection in the matrimonial house. At least, she would expect that during the good or bad days, her husband would be at her side," said the judges. According to them, it is expected of the husband to take care of his wife; even the father-in-law and mother-in-law are expected to treat the bride as their daughter and for all practical purposes, the parents of the husband should treat the daughter-in-law as their daughter.
"The husband should always be at the side of the wife; even if there is any harassment or ill-treatment on the part of other family members, it is the duty of the husband to protect his wife," said the judges while delivering a judgment in the 21-year-old case.
The incident dates back to June 14, 1989, when a young Sushma, who had married Mrityanjay Pawar two years earlier, was rushed to the hospital with 100 % burns. Though initially it was claimed that she had died when the stove burst and had in fact given a statement to that effect, the truth came out soon enough. The police found a suicide note that Sushma had written a day prior to the incident, about enduring ill-treatment and beatings from her husband for being unable to fulfill his demands for a cupboard, tape recorder and a gas connection. In her dying declaration, Sushma told the police that following a quarrel the previous day, she had set herself ablaze.
Pawar was arrested and released on bail in a few months. He and his family stood trial and a sessions court convicted them of abetting Sushma's suicide in 1990. The matter came up before the BombayHC, this year. The HC acquitted Pawar's father and sister but said there was enough evidence to prove that he had subjected Sushma to cruelty.
"There is no doubt that in the present case, the husband made demands to the girl and her parents for various articles," said the judges. The HC refused to show any leniency to Pawar on the grounds that several years had passed after the incident.
The court held Pawar guilty of dowry harassment and abetting his wife's suicide. It sentenced him to three years' imprisonment. Pawar has eight weeks to surrender to the police, ruled the court.
The judges took the opportunity to advise families that they had an obligation to care for their son's brides. " Girls leave their maternal house with tearful eyes hoping that they will get love and affection in the matrimonial house. At least, she would expect that during the good or bad days, her husband would be at her side," said the judges. According to them, it is expected of the husband to take care of his wife; even the father-in-law and mother-in-law are expected to treat the bride as their daughter and for all practical purposes, the parents of the husband should treat the daughter-in-law as their daughter.
"The husband should always be at the side of the wife; even if there is any harassment or ill-treatment on the part of other family members, it is the duty of the husband to protect his wife," said the judges while delivering a judgment in the 21-year-old case.
The incident dates back to June 14, 1989, when a young Sushma, who had married Mrityanjay Pawar two years earlier, was rushed to the hospital with 100 % burns. Though initially it was claimed that she had died when the stove burst and had in fact given a statement to that effect, the truth came out soon enough. The police found a suicide note that Sushma had written a day prior to the incident, about enduring ill-treatment and beatings from her husband for being unable to fulfill his demands for a cupboard, tape recorder and a gas connection. In her dying declaration, Sushma told the police that following a quarrel the previous day, she had set herself ablaze.
Pawar was arrested and released on bail in a few months. He and his family stood trial and a sessions court convicted them of abetting Sushma's suicide in 1990. The matter came up before the BombayHC, this year. The HC acquitted Pawar's father and sister but said there was enough evidence to prove that he had subjected Sushma to cruelty.
"There is no doubt that in the present case, the husband made demands to the girl and her parents for various articles," said the judges. The HC refused to show any leniency to Pawar on the grounds that several years had passed after the incident.
The court held Pawar guilty of dowry harassment and abetting his wife's suicide. It sentenced him to three years' imprisonment. Pawar has eight weeks to surrender to the police, ruled the court.
