Husband gets seven years jail term in dowry death case

A man has been sentenced to seven years in jail by a Delhi court for harassing his wife with dowry demands and driving her to commit suicide by consuming poison in 2003.

Additional Sessions Judge Virender Kumar Goyal sent Momin Iqbal, 42, to jail saying the woman had died "unnaturally" as she was "subjected to cruelty".

"The prosecution has been able to prove beyond reasonable doubt the ingredients of Section 304B (dowry death) of IPC... against accused Momin Iqbal, as Shabnam (victim) was harassed and subjected to cruelty and had died unnaturally," the court said, while also imposing a fine of Rs three lakh on the convict.

The court, however, discharged the victim's in-laws saying there was no evidence that they had subjected her to cruelty.

According to the prosecution, the couple had got married in February 2000 and were living at their matrimonial home in North-West Delhi. It said after two years of marriage, Iqbal demanded Rs two lakh from her parents to open a footwear shop.

"He (deceased's father) fulfilled this demand by paying Rs two lakh to the accused. Even thereafter, Iqbal and his family used to harass his daughter and demand more money," the prosecution had said.

Fed up with dowry demands, Shabnam had committed suicide by consuming poison in August 2003, the police told the court adding she was taken to the hospital by Iqbal, but died there.

Iqbal was arrested on August 2, 2003 after the victim's father lodged a complaint against him and his family members alleging that they had forced his daughter to commit suicide after he failed to give them more dowry.

Taking note of the prosecution's submissions, the court held Iqbal guilty under section 498 A (offence of a woman's husband subjecting her to cruelty) and 304B (dowry death) of IPC.

... contd.

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