Holding

The prosecution failed to establish the charge of dowry‑related harassment and abetment of suicide; therefore the accused are acquitted and the conviction of the husband is also set aside.

Summary

Geetu married Parvin Kumar and, two and a half months later, died by hanging. The prosecution alleged that her husband and in‑laws harassed her for a dowry car, constituting offences under Sections 304B and 306 IPC. The trial court and High Court convicted them, but on appeal the Supreme Court examined the oral testimony and the documentary evidence, including letters written by Geetu and her mother and a suicide note. The letters showed no demand for a car or any cruelty, and the suicide note expressed a voluntary act. The Court held that the prosecution had not proved the elements of dowry death or abetment of suicide beyond reasonable doubt, and consequently acquitted the in‑laws and set aside the conviction of the husband, applying the principle that relief granted to one accused extends to others even if they did not appeal.

Issues considered

Whether the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused harassed the deceased for dowry, satisfying the elements of Sections 304B and 306 IPC.
Whether the suicide note and letters written by the deceased can be used to infer dowry‑related harassment.
Whether an accused who did not file an appeal can benefit from the acquittal of co‑accused.

Legislation cited

Indian Penal Code, 1860s. 304B, s. 306

Subjects

Dowry deathSuicideSection 304B IPCSection 306 IPCBurden of proofAcquittalBenefit of appealLetters as evidenceSuicide noteCriminal law

Judgment

)
(

A GURUCHARAN KUMAR AND ANR.
v.
STATE OF RAJASTHAN

JANUARY 8, 2003

B [N. SANTOSH HEGDE AND B.P. SINGH, JJ.]

Penal Code, /86~ections 304B and 306-Dowry death and abetment
of suicide-Both trial court and High Court convicting husband and in-laws
C of deceased-Appeal by in-laws and not by husband since he has already
undergone the entire sentence-Held: oral evidence creating impression that
accused harassing deceased for dowry, however, documentary evidence not
substantiating such a/legations, thus prosecution/ailed to prove its case beyond
reasonable doubt-Hence in-laws to be acquitted-Since case of husband
same as case ofin-laws, husband also to be acquitted-Benefit to non-appealing
D accused-Practice and Procedure.

According to the prosecution, a lady committed suicide by hanging
after two and a half months of her marriage on account of demand of a
car towards dowry. At that time, she was residing with her husband and
in-laws. After the incident girl's parents wer~ informed and they reached
E the place of occurrence. Father of the deceased lodged an FIR.
Investigations were carried out. Thereafter husband of the deceased and
her in - laws were tried for offence under Sections 3048 and 306 IPC. Trial
Court convicted and sentenced them for the offence committed. High
Court confirmed the conviction and sentence. Hence the present appeal
F by the in-laws.
Appellants contended that deceased may have felt the absence of a
car as she was accustomed to moving about on her own in her father's
car.

Respondent contended that the suicide note only indicated that
G
deceased was committing suicide voluntarily and it did not amount to the
exoneration of accused.

Allowing the appeal, the Court

HELD: 1.J. Letters written by the mother of deceased to her
H 60
GURUCHARAN KUMAR v. STATE OF RAJASTHAN 61

daughter and her son-in-law do not support the case of the prosecution A
· that deceased was being subjected to torture and harassment or was being
constantly taunted for not bringing a car in dowry. Furthermore,
according to the prosecution, these letters were written during the period
when she was being subjected to cruelty. On the contrary, it appears from
these letters that she was well looked after in her matrimonial home and B
that all members showered on her love and affection, so much so that she
was very keen to get her brother-in-law married to a good girl of fair
complexion and there was no other demand. The only indication, if at all,
is about her finding it difficult to adjust in the new surroundings for which
she found herself guilty for entertaining such feelings. (69-E-H; 70-AJ

1.2. In the suicide note there is no statement to the effect that
c
deceased was committing suicide because she had been harassed or
tortured by her husband or her in-laws or was compelled to end her life
because she was being constantly taunted for having not got a car in dowry
which can be used against the accused. In fact, that note says that no one
was responsible for what she was doing, and what she was doing was D
entirely of her own will. )70-C, DJ

1.3. The evidence on record does not suggest that deceased was
subjected to cruelty or harassment by her husband or by her father and
mother-in-law for or in connection with any demand.for dowry. Rather E
it supports the case of defence that accused showered love and affection
on deceased. She may have committed suicide, as she was unable to adjust
herself in the changed surroundings of her matrimonial home being a
highly emotional person. Therefore, the prosecution has failed to prove
its case beyond reasonable doubt, and appellants are entitled to acquittal.
Hence the order of High Court as well as trial court is set aside and appellants F
are acquitted of the charges levelled against them. (71-F-G; 72-Al

2. Even in a case where one of the accused has not preferred an
appeal, or even if his SLP is dismissed, in case relief is granted to the
remaining accused and the case of the accused, who has either not appealed
or whose SLP has been dismissed, stands on the same footing, he should G
not be denied the benefit which is extended to the other accused. In the
instant case, husband of deceased, has not preferred an appeal before this
Court, on account of the fact that he has already served out the sentence
imposed against him. However, though his sufferings cannot be obliterated,
certainly the stigma attached to him on account of his conviction for a H
62 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2003] I S.C.R.

A heinous offence under Section 304 B IPC can be obliterated. Since the case
of husband of deceased is not distinguishable from the case of appellants
and appellants have been acquitted of the charges levelled against them,
conviction and sentence passed against the husband is set aside and is
acquitted of the charges levelled against him. (72-B-E) <

B Harbans Singh v. State of Uttar Pradesh & Ors., (1982) 2 SCC 101;
Raja Ram & Ors. v. State of MP., f1994) 2 SCC 568; Dandu Lakshmi Reddy
v. State of A.P., (1999) 7 SCC 69 and Akhil Ali Jehangir Ali Sayyed v. State
of Maharashtra JT, (2002) 2 SC 158, relied on.

C CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Criminal Appeal No.
1988 of 1996.

From the Judgment and Order dated 21.3.1996 of the High Court of
Rajasthan in SBCRL No. 195/92.

D U.N. Bhachawat, Sushil Kumar Jain, Alok Bhachawat, Ms. Anjali Doshi,
Ms. Ruchi, Kohli and Ms .. Pratibha Jain for the Appellants.

Ms. Sandhya Goswami, for the Respondent.

The Judgment of the Court was delivered by

E B.P. SINGH, J. Deceased Geetu was married to Parvin Kumar on
28.04.1990 at Yamunanagar. Her father Ved Prakash, PW l is a lawyer of
standing at Yamunanagar. After the marriage she started residing with her
husband and his parents at Sriganganagar. Only 2-1/2 months later, on 13th
July, 1990 Geetu committed suicide by hanging. Her parents were informed
F and they came to Sriganganagar. The post mortem examination of the dead
body of Geetu was conducted on the 14th July, 1990, whereafter her body
was cremated in the presence of her parents who had come to Sriganganagar
along with other relatives. After the cremation at about 4 p.m., Ved Prakash,
PW I, father of Geetu drafted an F.l.R., Ex.P-5 and lodged the same at police
station, Sadar, Sriganganagar at 8.30 p.m .. After investigation the appellants
G herein who are the parents of Parvin Kumar, the husband of the deceased,
along wi.th Parvin Kumar were put up for trial before the Additional District
& Sessions Judge No. 2, Sriganganagar in Sessions Case No.40 of 1991,
ch&rged of offences under Sections 304 Band 306 I.P.C.. By judgment and
order dated 16th May, 1992 the trial court found them g~ilty of offences
H punishable under Sections 304 Band 306 I.P.C. and sentenced them to undergo
GURUCHARANKUMAR v. STATE OF RAJASTHAN [B.P. SINGH, J.)63

7 years simple imprisonment under Section 304 B l.P.C. and 5 years simple A
imprisonment and a fine of Rs.1000 each for the offence punishable under
Section 306 l.P.C., and in default of payment of fine to undergo simple
imprisonment for 6 months.

The appeal preferred by the appellants and Parvin Kumar (husband of
the deceased) was dismissed by the High Court by its judgment and order B
dated 21st March, 1996.

This appeal by special leave has been preferred by Gurucharan Kumar
and Smt. Sudesh, the parents of Parvin Kumar only. We were informed that
Parvin Kumar has not preferred an appeal to this Court since he had already C
undergone the entire sentence.

The prosecution has examined several witnesses to prove its case, but
considerable reliance is placed on the evidence of Ved Prakash, PW 1 the
father of the deceased, Anju Ahuja PW 3, the sister of the deceas¢d and
Yashoda PW-4, the mother of the deceased. The prosecution has aiso brought D
on record several letters written by deceased Geetu to her mother, sister and
Minu, a friend, as also several letters written by her mother and sister to her.
These letters and some other documents have been marked as Exhibits without
objection. The letters said to have been written by Geetu have been duly
proved to be in her hand-writing. There is also a suicide note left behind by
the deceased, which has been marked as Ex. P-4 and has been proved to be E
in her hand- writing. These documents have been produced by the prosecution
and the defence has not objected to the same nor has it challenged the
genuineness of those documents. There is only a challenge to Ex. P-33, a
letter said to have been written by Yashoda, PW-4 to her daughter on 13.7.90
just before the incident, which according to the defence was false!y got F
prepared to support the case of demand of dowry. We shall deal with these
documents later after noticing the oral :estimony of the witnesses examined
by the prosecution.

The F.I.R which is a detailed report drafted by PW- I, Ved Prakash,
father of the deceased, who is a lawyer by profession was lodged at 8.3 0 p.m. G
on 14th July, 1990 after they had cremated the body of the deceased. It
appears to be the case of the prosecution that deceased Geetu committed
suicide at about 8.00 or 8.30 p.m. on 13.07.1990.

In the FIR, it is stated by PW- I that they came to know soon after the
marriage that the appellants as well as Parvin Kumar, her husband were not HI
64 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2003] l S.C.R.

A satisfied with the dowry given by the infonnant. They felt aggrieved by the
fact that the deceased had not brought sufficient dowry despite the fact that
her father was a prosperous advocate and could have given more cash and
also a Maruti car, if he so desired. These facts he came to know l 0-12 days
after the marriage when Geetu came to the house of her parents. According
B to the informant, Parvin Kumar and his parents repeatedly told his daughter
to get a car from her father. In the month of June, 1990 Geetu made a
telephone call to her father and requested him to send a demand draft for the
purchase of a car, or else she would b~ troubled and harassed by her husband
and his parents and make her life difficult. After receiving the call from his
daughter the informant sent his wife Yashoda, PW-4 to visit Geetu at
C Sriganganagar on 27.6.1990. She stayed with her for some time and returned
to Yamunanagar on 4.7.1990. While she was at Sriganganagar the husband
of her daughter and his parents repeatedly made a demand for a car. Geetu
also informed her that they have been harassing her for a car and were
constantly taunting her for failure to get a car from her father. They also
complained about the dowry provided by her father.
D
The informant often talked to his daughter on telephone. On 13th July,
I 990 when he gave a call to his daughter he was informed by appellant
Gurucharan Kumar that Geetu was sleeping in her room. He again rang up
at about 8.30 p.m. when he was told by the appellant, Gurucharan Kumar that
E Geetu was all right. But soon thereafter he received a call from Gurucharan
Kumar informing him that she was inside her room for about 2 hours and
was not opening the door and they were therefore seeking police help. He
also requested him to come to Sriganganagar immediately. On getting such
infonnation the informant and others reached Sriganganagar at about 6.30
a.m. on 14. 7. I 990. The police had already come on the spot by then.
F
With this background it was complained that Parvin Kumar, his father,
Gurucharan Kumar as also his brother Sanjeev Kumar had harassed and
troubled his daughter Geetu to such an extent that life became difficult for

-
her and she was compelled to commit suicide.
,....
J . The informant was examined as PW l. In his deposition the informant
narrated the facts in the same manner as alleged in the F.1.R. A request was
made by his daughter in June, 1990 to send a demand draft for the purchase
of a car, since she was being taunted and harassed by the appellants. He also
deposed to the fact that his wife went and stayed at Sriganganagar with Geetu
-I for some time, and even then repeated demands were made for a car. In his
GURUCHARAN KUMAR v. STATE OF RAJASTHAN (B.P. SINGH, J.]65

+ deposition, however, he stated about a call from Geetu to his wife on the 12th A
July, 1990. Geetu appeared perplexed and his wife told her that she would
talk to her again. When Geetu was talking to her mother on phone he was
sitting nearby. This fact, however, has not been mentioned by the informant
in the F.l.R. He also deposed to the fact that on 13th July, 1990 his wife had
sent a gift parcel to Parvin Kumar whose birthday fell on 19th July, I 990. B
That parcel had not been received and was returned to Yamunanagar, where
the parcel was received by the informant in the presence of police at the
Yamunanagar post office. On opening the parcel it was found to contain a
piece of warm cloth for a coat, a currency note of Rs. 100 denomination and
a letter written by his wife, PW 4. This witness proved the letters Exs. P-17
to P-25 to be in the hand-writing of his daughter, Geetu. He also proved Ex. C·
P-4, the suicide note which was in the hand writing of his daughter. He
further stated that Exs.P-26 and P-29 were written by his wife, PW-4 and the
letter Ex. P-30 was written by Mini, a friend of his daughter, Geetu.

In the course of his deposition the informant stated that he had asked
his friend, Gulshan Rai to get a demand draft made for the purchase of a car D
but this fact he had not stated either in his F.l.R or in his statements made
before the police on 15th July, 1990 and 27th July, 1990. He denied the
suggestion of the prosecution that the accused had not made any demand for
a car nor had they treated his daughter with cruelty and that a false case has
been lodged. E
PW-3, Anju Ahuja and PW-4, Yashoda have more or less deposed on
the same lines as the informant. According to Anju Ahuja, PW-3 when Geetu
came to Yamunanagar 10-12 days after the marriage she did not tell her
anything, but about a month later she rang her up and asked her to tell mother
to send a demand draft for the purchase of a car at the earliest. Later she rang F
up to tell her not to say anything to mother and that she would herself talk

-
to her. She has deposed to the fact that whenever she talked to her on phone
Geetu informed her about the harsh behaviour of her in-laws and that she was
constantly being taunted for not bringing sufficient dowry. She talked last to
Geetu on telephone on 12th July, 1990 when she found her to be very
perplexed. When she questioned Geetu, she told her that she was all right and C
it appeared to be so since she had just got up.

PW-4, Yashoda, stated that when Geetu came back to Yamunanagar
I 0-12 days after her marriage she had told her about the harassment being
caused to her by the appellants and her husband. In the middle of June Geetu I
)'-
'

66 SUPREME COURT REPORTS {2003] 1 S.C.R.

A rang up and asked her to send a demand draft for the purchase of a car. She,
therefore, went to Sriganganagar on 27.6.1990 and returned on 4.7.1990.
During her stay at Sriganganagar Geetu told her several times about the
demand of car made by her in-laws. On return from Sriganganagar she told
the entire story to her husband who talked to Gulshan Kumar, a friend, and
B it was decided to give a car as demanded by the appellants. Since they had
to arrange for ,money they requested Gulshan Kumar to get a demand draft
prepared. On 12th July, 1990 she talked to her daughter Geetu on phone who
appeared to be perplexed but she had no opportunity to tell her that they had
decided to give a car and that a demand draft was being prepared, nor had
she written to her that they were getting a demand draft prepared for the
C purchase of a car. This witness admitted having written the letters Ex.P-26
to Ex.P-29.

Gulshan Vinayak, a friend of the informant was examined as PW-5. He
was the· person who was requested to get a demand draft prepared. According
to him in the first week of July he was requested to get a demand draft
D prepared for the purchase of a new car, however, he admitted that he did not
get any demand draft prepared nor was any amount paid to him then or later.
He was expected to purchase the demand draft from his own funds.

A perusal of the oral evidence on record creates an impression that the Y-
E appellants as well as the husband of the deceased were constantly taunting
Geetu, (deceased) for the failure of her father to provide them with a car
despite his prosperity and status, and ultimately this led her to commit suicide.
However, the documentary evidence on record of contemporaneous nature
some of them written by Geetu herself give quite a different picture. They do
indicate that Geetu was unhappy and depressed for some reason, but they
F also reveal that so far as the appellants are concerned they treated her with
love and affection and there is no complaint in any of the letters against their
conduct. There is not even a whisper in any of the letters written by the
deceased or anyone else about a demand for a car. On the other hand the
letters indicate that Geetu (deceased) was finding some difficulty in adjusting
herself to her new surroundings in her matrimonial home.
3
We shall now proceed to consider the letters which have been brought
on record by the prosecution itself to support its case. These letters are
significant as they were written at a time when the dispute had not arisen.
They are substantially contemporaneous because they were written at a time
:.i when, according to the prosecution, Geetu was being subjected to harassment
GURUCHARAN KUMAR v. STATE OF RAJASTHAN [B.P. SINGH, J.)67

and cruelty and was repeatedly taunted by her husband as well as her father A
. and mother-in-law for the failure of her father to give a car in dowry. These
letters, therefore, throw considerable light on the circumstances that prevailed
during the period of her stay in her matrimonial home; resulting ultimately
in her death. Most of the letters written by the deceased are undated, but
there is intrinsic evidence in them to show that they were written at a time
•when she was living in her matrimonial home. Since the unfortunate incident B
took place within 2-1/2 months of the marriage we may safely conclude that
the letters were written between the 28th April, 1990, the date of marriage,
and 13th July, 1990 the day on which she committed suicide. While
appreciating the contents of these letters one has to keep in mind the categoric
case of the prosecution that soon after Geetu went to her matrimonial home C
there was a persistent demand for a car, and this fact was narrated by her to
her parents 10-12 days after the date of marriage, when she came to her
parents along with her husband.

Ex.P-17, is a letter written by the deceased to her sister, PW-3. In this
letter she has stated that she is facing a lot of difficulties and she had no D
option but to confide in her, as she did not want to bother her parents. She
has stated that she feels suffocated and wanted to feel comfortable by talking
to her. She has sought her advice, but has added that no one has said anything
to her in her matrimonial home. Everyone loves her so much, but she failed
to understand why such a feeling has come in her, so much so that she had E
started feeling guilty. She has then observed that relationship should be
maintained with people of the same status and if the status is too high or too
low, one has to face sufferings. She, who used to live with her head high, has
to keep her head down. She used to remain happy but now she is crying
continuously. She has requested her sister to tell her what she should do.
• F
From this letter it is obvious that there is no complaint of any mal-
treatment by her in-laws or by her husband, nor have they said anything to

- her. There is also no whisper about any demand being made by her in-laws
or her husband. She has talked about the status of the families and she was
depressed and unhappy because she was not able to adjust herself.
G
Ex. P-22 is a letter written by the deceased to her mother. In this letter
she has written that everyone in her matrimonial home is good to her and that
they really love her very much, but the love and affection showered by her
mother and father was such that she finds difficulty in her matrimonial home.
It appears that a flying bird from open sky has been imprisoned and put in H
68 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2003] 1 S.C.R.

A a cage. How can a free bird be imprisoned in a cage whether the cage is of
gold or iron because the cage is after all a cage? She has written that the
atmosphere in her matrimonial home was such that it required a lot of
adjustment for a girl who had been brought up in a different atmosphere,
because one may have to sacrifice his wishes and desires. She remembers her
B parents all the time and that despite the fact that there were so many people
in her matrimonial home who treated her with love and affection. In the encf
she writes that she will try to adjust herself according to the atmosphere in
her matrimonial home. She has conduded by saying that she should not talk
to anyone about these things, since she does not want anyone to get opportunity
to say anything.
c This letter also does not contain any imputation against her husband or
in-laws. There is no reference to any demand made by anyone. On the contrary
there is acknowledgement of the fact that in her matrimonial home she was
the recipient of abundant love and affection. However, she was unhappy
because she was finding it difficult to adjust in an atmosphere different from
D the atmosphere that prevailed in her parental home. She had to adjust herself
and in doing so she was finding difficulty.

Ex. 21 is a letter written by the deceased to her friend Minu. In this
letter she has written to her friend how she spends her time in her matrimonial
home and how she remembers her friends. There is one significant sentence
E in this letter. She has stated that everyone in her matrimonial home is good
natured, and all of them love her.

Ex.18 is a letter written by the deceased to her sister on the 4th July,
1990. In this letter she has stated that she has been feeling very lonely after
her departure. The reference obviously is to her mother's departure, who
F
according to the prosecution returned to Yamunanagar on 4th July, 1990. She
has then referred to her other friends and about the gift sent by her sister. She
has mentioned about her going to her sister's place at Bikaner along with her
mother and her husband and how they exchanged gifts. She has requested her
sister to come as soon as possible. She has further made a request to her sister
G to find a good match for the brother of her husband, named Sanjeev. There
was no demand of any sort but they wanted a girl with fair complexion. She
has shown her keenness to get her brother-in-law married as soon as possible.
She has also described Sanjeev as a good- natured person.

It will thus appear froni the contents of this letter as well that she was ·
H not being treated in a cruel manner or that any demand was being made by
~
)

. GURUCHARAN KUMAR v. STATE OF RAJASTHAN [8.P. SINGH, J.]69

her husband or her in-laws. There is not even a whisper about any unpleasant A
event, except for her saying that she has been feeling lonely after her mother's
departure, which was natural. What is significant is that she has requested her
sister to find a good match for her brother-in-law, Sanjeev and she has
further clarified that the only condition is that the girl must have a fair
complexion. Apart from that there was no other demand whatsoever. The fact
that she was keen to get her brother-in-law married and was requesting. her B
sister to find a good match, if at all, is indicative of the fact that she found
her husband, father-in-law, mother-in-law and other members of the family
to be good natured persons, and was therefore keen to get her brother-in-law
married. If she was really being tortured and harassed and demands were
being made, it is unlikely that she would have written such a letter to her c
sister. The letter also indicates that there is no demand of any sort for the
marriage of Sanjeev, her brother-in-law.

~.
Exs. P-26, P-27, P-28 and P-29 are letters written by Yashoda, the
mother of the deceased to her daughter, Geetu and her son-in-law, Parvin
Kumar. In none of these letters is there any indication of the fact that there D
was any unpleasantness in the family or that there was a demand for a car
from the in-laws of Geetu. If Geetu was really being harassed and taunted as
alleged, one would have expected some mention, direct or indirect, of such
conduct of the husband or in-laws of Geetu. These letters indicate a normal
_>·
happy relationship.
E
These letters which we have noticed above do not support the case of
the prosecution that Geetu was being subjected to torture and harassment or
was being constantly taunted for not bringing a car in dowry. On the contrary,
it appears from these letters that she was loved by all members of her
matrimonial family who showered affection on her. The only indication, if at F
all, is about her finding it difficult to adjust in the new surroundings for
t- which she found herself guilty for entertaining such feelings. She has referred
to the freedom that she enjoyed in her parental home but now feels suppressed
~ because she cannot do all that she used to do in her parental home. As we
have observed earlier these letters were written during the period when,
according to the prosecution, she was being subjected to cruelty and torture G
and a consistent demand for a car was being made. These letters, however,
do not support the case of the prosecution and on the other hand are indicative
~
of the fact that she was well looked after in her matrimonial home and that
all members of her matrimonial family showered on her love and affection.
So much so that she was very keen to get her brother-in-law married to a
H
(' l·'
70 SUl>REME COURT REPORTS (2003] I S.C.R.

A good girl of fair complexion as there was no other demand.

We may now refer to the suicide note left behind by the deceased Ex.P- ~
4. The said note reads as under:-

"Sorry.
B I really mean it.
What I am going to do is by my own will and no one
else is responsible for it.

Geetu".
c ln the said note also there is no statement to the effect that she was
committing suicide because she had been harassed or tortured by her husband
or her in-laws or that she was compelled to end her life because she was
being constantly taunted for having not got a car in dowry. In fact the note
says that no one was responsible for what she was doing, and that what she
D was doing was entirely of her own will. It was sought to be argued before
us by counsel for the State that the said suicide note only indicates that she
was committing suicide voluntarily, and did not amount to the exoneration of
the accused. That may be one way of reading the suicide note, but it is
equally possible to read the suicide note to mean that she was entirely.
E responsible for what she was doing and no one else was to blame. The
suicide note does not contain any statement which can be used against the
accused, as there is nothing in the suicide note which may even remotely
suggest that she was ending her life because of the mal-treatment meted out
to her by the members of her matrimonial family.

F Much was sought to be made by the counsel for the State of Ex.P-33,
the parcel allegedly sent by PW-4 to her daughter on the 13th July, 1990. _,_
That was supposed to be a gift parcel sent to Parvin Kumar, husband of the
deceased, whose birthday fell on 19th July, 1990. The parcel contained a
letter in which there is mention of a car being repaired for being sent to the
deceased. Nothing much turns on this. It was submitted on behalf of the
r
G appellants that Geetu may have felt the absence of a car as she was accustomed
to moving about on her own in her father's car. The accused could not afford
a car .and therefore could not provide her with a car. In these circumstances
if the parents of the deceased thought of sending her an old car after repairs,
it does not necessarily follow that car was being sent in response to any
H demand by the husband or in-laws of the deceased.
GURUCHARAN KUMAR v. STATE OF RAJASTHAN [B.P. SINGH, J.)7\

Unfortunately, the High Court has not even referred to. the aforesaid A
letters and was content to reach its conclusion on the basis of the oral evidence
on record. We are satisfied after having read the letters placed before us that
the case projected by the prosecution at the trial about the demand of a car
cannot be accepted. There is no evidence on record to suggest that the deceased
was being maltreated or tortured, except that she was constantly being taunted
B
. for not bringing a car in dowry. Even the story about PW-I having asked
PW-5 to get a demand draft prepared for the purchase of a car appears to be
an afterthought because PW-5 admitted that he neither got a demand draft
made nor was he paid any amount by the father of the deceased for the
purpose.

Moreover, no one informed the deceased that demand draft was about
c
to be sent for the purchase of a car. In normal circumstances one would have
expected that the deceased would have been informed of the fact that a
~
demand draft was being sent for the purchase of a car, particularly when it
is the case of the prosecution that Geetu was under a terrible strain and
depression on account of her being consistently taunted for not bringing a car D
in dowry.

Moreover, the informant has not mentioned about the decision to send
a demand draft for purchase of a car either in the F.l.R or in his two subsequent
statements before the police. Moreover, this story is not consistent with the
version given out in the letter Ex.33 of 13.7.90 wherein it was stated that a E
car was being repaired for being sent to Geetu.

The letters which we have noticed are substantially contemporaneous,
written at a time when it is alleged she was being subjected to cruelty at the
hands of her husband, father-in-law and brother-in-law. Rather than supporting
the case of the prosecution, these letters support the case of the defence that
F
~
so far as they were concerned they had showered love and affection on Geetu
and not subjected her to cruelty or harassment in connection with any demand
for dowry. We are of the view that Geetu may have committed suicide, as she
was unable to adjust herself in the changed surroundings of her matrimonial
home being a highly emotional person. The evidence on record does not G
1 suggest that she was subjected to cruelty or harassment by her husband or by
--,.,. her father and mother-in-law for or in connection with any demand for dowry.

We are, therefore, of the considered view that the prosecution has failed
to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, and that the appellants are entitled
to acquittal. Accordingly, we allow the appeal, set aside the judgment and H
72 SUPREME COURT ltEPORTS (2003) I S.C.R.

A order of the High Coott as well as that of the trial court and acquit the
appellants of the Chllrges levelled against them. They are on bail. Their bail
bonds stal'ld discharged. ·

As noticed earlier accused Parvin Kumar, husband of the deceased,
Geetu has not preferred an appeal before this Court, on account of the fact
B that he has already served out the sentence imposed against him. However,
though we cannot obliterate the sufferings of Parvin Kumar, we can certainly
obliterate the stigma that attaches to him on account of his conviction for a
heinous offence tihder Section 304 B of the l.P.C. This Court has laid down
a judicious principle that even in a case where one of the accused has not
C preferred an appeal, or even if his Special Leave Petition is dismissed, in case
relief is granted to the remaining accused and the case of the accused, who
has either not appealed or whose Special Leave Petition has been dismissed,
stands on the same footing, he should. not be denied the benefit which is
extended to the other accused. This has been held in Harbans Singh v. State
of Uttar Pradesh & Ors., [1982] 2 SCC IOI, Raja Ra,m & Ors. v. State of
D MP., [1994] 2 SCC 568, Dandu Lakshmi Reddy v. State of A.P., [1999) 7
SCC 69 and Akhil Ali Jehangir Ali Sayyed v. State of Maharashtra, JT
(2002) 2 SC 158.

In the instant case we find that the case of Parvin Kumar, who has not
tiled an appeal, is not distinguishable from the case of the appellants. Since
E we have acquitted the appellants of the charges levelled against them, we
also set aside the conviction and sentence passed against the said Parvin ·
Kumar and acquit him of the charges levelled against him. This appeal is
accordingly allowed.

F N.J. Appeal allowed.