NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has set aside a bail order granted by the Patna High Court to a man accused in a dowry death case, terming the relief as “wholly unsustainable” and flagging a “mechanical approach” adopted in such serious offences.
A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Vijay Bishnoi allowed the appeal filed by the mother of the deceased and directed that the husband of the deceased woman surrender before the jail authorities within one week, failing which the trial court has been asked to issue a non-bailable warrant.
The dowry death case stems from an FIR registered on September 1, 2024, at Gopalpur Police Station in Bihar under Sections 103(1) and 80 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
As per the prosecution, the deceased, who had been married for about one-and-a-half years, was found dead at her matrimonial home under suspicious circumstances, with multiple external and internal injuries across her body.
The FIR, lodged by the victim’s mother, Lal Muni Devi, alleged that substantial dowry, including Rs 20 lakh in cash and gold and silver worth around Rs 6 lakh, had already been given at the time of marriage. However, the accused and his family allegedly continued to demand a motorcycle, a vehicle, and other items, and subjected the deceased to harassment. It was further alleged that the accused had developed a relationship with another woman within six months of the marriage, leading to disputes and further harassment of the woman.