Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961

The appellant, Karan Singh, was convicted under Sections 304-B and 498-A of the IPC for the alleged dowry death of his wife, Asha Rani, who committed suicide within two years of marriage. The prosecution's case relied on the testimonies of three witnesses, whose statements about dowry demands were found to contain sign…

The appellant, Smt. N. Usha Rani, married her first husband in 1999, separated and executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2005, and subsequently married the respondent twice, the second marriage being registered. The respondent obtained a decree declaring the first marriage void and later filed a criminal revi…

The father of a divorced woman filed an FIR in 2021 alleging that his former in‑laws had retained the gold ornaments he had given as stridhan at his daughter's 1999 marriage. The daughter had divorced in 2015, remarried in 2018, and a separation agreement had already settled all marital property. The High Court refused…

The deceased, Sonali Karmakar, committed suicide by hanging in her matrimonial home within seven years of marriage. The prosecution alleged that she was subjected to harassment and dowry demands by her husband and in‑laws, leading to her death. The trial court convicted the sister‑in‑law, husband, and mother‑in‑law und…

The appellant, a mother‑in‑law, was accused of repeatedly torturing her daughter‑in‑law over dowry demands, leading the young woman to commit suicide by poison. The trial court convicted her under Sections 304B and 498A IPC and Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, but the High Court acquitted her of those off…

The appellants, relatives of the husband in a matrimonial dispute, were charged in an FIR alleging they instigated dowry demands, although they lived in Hyderabad while the complainant resided in Guntur. The complainant had earlier withdrawn a restitution of conjugal rights case and later filed a police complaint after…

M. Venkateswaran was convicted under Section 498A of the IPC and Section 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act for demanding gold sovereigns and harassing his wife‑de‑facto complainant. The trial court sentenced him to three years imprisonment and a fine, which the Madras High Court modified to two years imprisonment under Se…

The appellant, Ramanuj Kumar, filed a petition for divorce under Sections 13(1)(ia) and (iii) of the Hindu Marriage Act, alleging irretrievable breakdown of his marriage to Priyanka. The parties had been living separately for over eleven years, with the appellant caring for their elder daughter and the respondent carin…

The deceased, Neelam, died from extensive burn injuries within seven years of her marriage to the son of the appellants, who were her father‑in‑law and mother‑in‑law. The prosecution alleged that the accused demanded a motorcycle and Rs 50,000 as dowry and threatened her, invoking the presumption of dowry death under S…

The petitioners, both commercial pilots, claimed to have "solemnised" their marriage on 7 July 2021 and obtained a marriage certificate from Vadik Jankalyan Samiti, which was later used to register the marriage under the Uttar Pradesh Marriage Registration Rules, 2017. In reality, no Hindu rites or saptapadi were perfo…

The appellants, who are relatives of a husband, were summoned in a complaint under IPC sections 498A, 323, 504, 506 and Dowry Act s.4 after the husband’s marriage had been dissolved by an ex‑parte divorce decree on 31‑05‑2012. The complaint, filed three years after the divorce, alleged that the appellants had visited t…

The appellant Rajesh Chaddha was convicted under Section 498A of the IPC and Section 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act for alleged cruelty and dowry demands by his wife, who claimed physical and mental torture, including a miscarriage. The High Court, exercising revisionary jurisdiction, upheld the conviction despite the …

The appellants, a husband and his in‑laws, sought to quash a FIR and charge‑sheet filed after the husband filed a divorce suit, alleging that the FIR was a retaliatory, vexatious measure. The FIR originally alleged rape under Section 376 IPC, but the charge‑sheet omitted that offence and no protest petition was filed a…

The deceased Geetha was allegedly set on fire by her mother‑in‑law, leading to her death. The trial court acquitted both the husband (appellant No.1) and the mother‑in‑law (appellant No.2) for offences under Sections 498A, 302, 504 r/w 34 IPC and Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act. The High Court reversed th…

The appellant, the brother‑in‑law of the deceased woman, was convicted under Sections 306 and 498‑A of the IPC and Section 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act for abetment of suicide, while being acquitted of the dowry‑death charge under Section 304B. The deceased had set herself on fire after alleged harassment and dowry d…

The appellant, Muskan, married Ishaan Khan in 2020 and later alleged dowry harassment by her husband and his family, filing complaints in early 2023 and an FIR in January 2024 under Section 498A IPC and Sections 3 and 4 Dowry Prohibition Act. The respondents filed a petition under Section 482 of the Cr.PC seeking quash…

The case concerned a two‑year‑seven‑month‑old girl whose mother died in an unnatural death. The child had been in the care of her maternal aunts and grandparents since she was 11 months old. The father, who had been arrested and later released on bail, filed a habeas‑corpus petition before the Madhya Pradesh High Court…

The complainant alleged dowry demands, mental and physical harassment by her husband and in‑laws, and implicated the appellant Geddam Jhansi (her mother‑in‑law’s sister) and her son Geddam Sathyakama Jabali as pressurising her to obey her husband’s wishes. The High Court declined to quash criminal proceedings under Sec…

The appellant, Ghanshyam Soni, was accused under sections 498A, 34 and 406 IPC for alleged cruelty and dowry demands by his wife, a police officer, with incidents said to have occurred in 1999. The complainant filed a complaint on 3 July 2002, leading to an FIR on 19 December 2002 and a charge‑sheet in 2004, after whic…

The petition arose from a criminal trial under which the petitioner sought, under Section 311 of the CrPC, the summons of two individuals, Vinay Kumar Pathak and Kanak Lata Singh, as independent witnesses. The trial court partially granted the application, summoning only Pathak and later closed the opportunity to exami…

Rousanara Begum married S.K. Salahuddin in 2005 and divorced him in 2011. At the time of marriage her father gave Rs 7 lakh and 30 bhori of gold, which the appellant sought to recover under Section 3 of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986. Lower courts awarded partial amounts, but the Calcutta …

The appellant, brother of the deceased, filed FIRs alleging that the deceased wife was subjected to relentless dowry demands and cruelty by her in‑laws, culminating in her death by strangulation within two years of marriage. The trial court denied bail to the accused in‑laws, but the High Court later granted bail to al…