Questioning the society's general preference of letting a woman continue in a torturous relation rather than caring for her life and happiness, a Delhi court has acquitted a man and his four family members of the charges of driving his wife to commit suicide for dowry.
Additional Sessions Judge Kamini Lau let off five North West Delhi residents of the charges of causing dowry death, questioning the tolerance of the victim's family to the harassments meted out to her.
Noting that they did not tell police about her harassments at the first instance even after her death, the judge pointed out unless the victims' families stand by them and report such instances of dowry demands and harassment well within time, there is little that the courts and other agencies can do.
"Why in our society the desirability of continuing in torturous relationship considered more important than the life and happiness of a woman? I also ponder why after a woman is married, the family in which she is born and brought up often disowns her and refuses to stand by her when she is living and alive but cries foul when she is no more," ASJ Lau said.
The court freed victim's husband Kapil Mudgil, his parents Deepak and Kusumlata and his siblings Kirti and Himanshu of the charges of subjecting his newly married wife to cruelty and driving her to commit suicide.
"Why at the first instance after her death, her family members (parents and brothers) did not inform the SDM and the investigating officer about the instances of harassment and torture in the same manner in which they have now deposed in the court," it asked, adding that the evidence on record was convincing to hold the accused guilty.