The sessions judge on Tuesday, while awarding life imprisonment to a man and 10-year in jail to his mother in a dowry death case, observed that it was the responsibility of husband to keep his wife safe and secured in her matrimonial home.
The public prosecutor during the completion of the trial had requested the additional sessions judge Anju Bajaj Chandna for severe punishment against the culprits, saying that it will be “adding insult to the victim” if the accused are administered lesser punishment.
ASJ Chandna, while declaring life imprisonment to husband Anand Sharma and 10-year prison term to her mother-in-law, Shakuntala, for burning the victim Shruti Sharma to death noted, “dowry is customary extortion...... and despite all the economic and political progress, evil of dowry is aggressively prevalent in the society. Thus, he is further sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for life.”
The court also imposed a fine of `15,000 on Sharma and `10,000 on his mother.
The case came to light in 2006 when the victim’s mother registered a complaint against Anand Sharma and his family members for killing her daughter. The victim’s parents said that they couldn’t fulfil the endless demand of in-laws ranging from clothes, ornaments and cash and therefore their daughter was punished with death.
According to Shruti’s mother, her daughter and Anand Sharma, an MCD contractor, got married on January 2003.
At that time the victim’s parents complied and fulfilled the demand of dowry with `8 lakhs, a Maruti car, clothes and ornaments.