JAIPUR: The Rajasthan High Court has partly upheld a petition in a dowry death case, allowing proceedings against three family members of the deceased while quashing cognisance against her sister-in-law due to insufficient evidence of involvement. Justice Anoop Kumar Dhand delivered the order on April 10, which was publicly accessible Friday. The case revolves around the death of a woman, who, after marrying on Dec 11, 2021, died by suicide at her parental home on March 7, 2023. Her father filed an FIR at the Mansarovar police station, alleging that his daughter had faced harassment and dowry demands from her husband and in-laws, which contributed to her demise. During the investigation, a suicide note was recovered and subsequently verified by the Forensic Science Laboratory, confirming its authorship by the deceased. Statements from witnesses under Section 161 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) also pointed towards instances of harassment for dowry. Vivek Raj Bajwa, a senior advocate representing the petitioners, argued that the deceased had a cordial relationship with her husband and emphasised that her sister-in-law, Ashwini Bharti, who resides separately in Nagaur since her marriage in 2012, had no direct role in any alleged offenses. After considering the arguments, the court found sufficient material to proceed against PD Gurjar and Sidharth Gurjar, the father-in-law and husband of the deceased, while dismissing the implications against Bharti as unwarranted. Justice Dhand highlighted the tendency for distant relatives to be unjustly implicated in matrimonial disputes and issued directives for the accused to appear through bailable warrants, allowing bail upon their court appearance scheduled by May 8.
