Chandigarh: Life term for mother-son duo in 2019 dowry death case

A local court awarded life imprisonment to a 46-year-old woman and her 29-year-old son for the murder of her differently abled daughter-in-law over “insufficient dowry”.

The convicts are Sheela Devi and Ramkaran, residents of EWS Colony, Dhanas.

The victim, Sadhna, 24, who was married to Ramkaran, was murdered on August 28, 2019. The case was registered a day later, on the complaint of the victim’s brother.

When a police team reached the victim’s house, her mother-in-law told the police that the 24-year-old had died of stomach pain and the body was kept in the refrigerator.

The victim’s brother, Harikesh, cried foul and said that his sister had been facing dowry harassment ever since she got married in May 2018. He said that his sister, who suffered from a physical disability, had been frequently subjected to domestic violence and that he had tried in vain to get his sister’s in-laws to stop the cruelty but in vain. He said that he had assured them that he would arrange more dowry, but they killed her.

Police had found injury marks on the victim’s neck. Doctors at the government hospital, where the post-mortem was carried out, had stated that the cause of death was asphyxia due to hanging.

The court found the mother-son duo guilty under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and awarded them life imprisonment and penalty of ₹25,000 each.

Both convicts pleaded for leniency citing their health problems.

Sheela Devi, while pleading not guilty, had said that she was a patient of hypertension and had been a victim of protracted trial since 2019. She further stated that her son suffered from a physical disability while her husband too was unable to take care of himself. Stating that there was no one else to look after them, she pleaded the court to take a lenient view. Similarly, Ram Karan too sought mercy while citing his physical disability.

Public prosecutor JP Singh opposed the prayer of convicts for leniency in view of the heinous crime committed by them.

While pronouncing the quantum of sentence, the court of additional sessions judge Dr Rajneesh, stated, “An innocent disabled girl was murdered by the convicts just to get rid of her. The convicts are none other than her husband and mother-in-law. In these circumstances, the court is of the view that convicts do not deserve any sympathy.”

“In order to save the society, such crimes are liable to be handled with an iron fist by awarding appropriate punishment as prescribed under law,” the court said.