Delhi Court Acquits Husband in 2021 Dowry Death Case

A Delhi court has acquitted a man accused of subjecting his wife to dowry-related cruelty and abetting her suicide, observing that casual taunts or ordinary wear and tear of married life do not amount to cruelty under the law.

Additional Sessions Judge Anuj Agrawal cleared the accused, Anil Kumar, of charges of dowry death and cruelty in connection with the death of his wife, Anjali, at their matrimonial home in June 2021. The couple had married in 2018.

In the ruling, the court noted that the prosecution failed to establish a specific or proximate link between the alleged harassment and the woman's death. Key witnesses, including Anjali's mother and brother, did not support the prosecution's allegations during the proceedings and instead attributed her death to depression.

The prosecution had alleged that Anjali faced persistent harassment from Kumar and his family over demands for dowry. According to the prosecution, a dispute occurred between the couple after Anjali returned from her brother's wedding, which Kumar had not attended. Later that night, Kumar informed her family that she had died by suicide.

The court observed that the prosecution's case suffered a major dent when Anjali's mother, who was the original complainant, along with one of her brothers, turned hostile on the stand.

Finding no evidence to prove the charges of cruelty or a direct connection to her death, the court ordered Kumar's acquittal.