Karnataka high court: Victim’s note cannot override cruelty charges

BENGALURU: Karnataka high court rejected a petition to quash a dowry death case despite the victim’s suicide note not naming anyone.
Justice M Nagaprasanna’s verdict, on plea filed by a Bengaluru man and his parents, cited prima facie evidence of harassment. Court said the victim’s final note cannot override substantive allegations of matrimonial cruelty. The victim was married on Oct 24, 2019. After living for about a year with her husband at their Bengaluru home, she died by suicide, following which her father filed a complaint on Oct 24, 2020.
The man and his parents were booked under IPC Sections 498A and 304B, and Sections 3 & 4 of Dowry Prohibition Act. This led to police filing a chargesheet. The petitioners said victim’s suicide note blamed herself. “Neither offence under Section 498A nor 304B of IPC or offence under Dowry Prohibition Act are met,” they argued.
The complainant’s counsel countered that her death was under mysterious circumstances and should have been registered as murder.
Justice Nagaprasanna reviewed all available evidence and found that as per chargesheet victim was harassed for dowry of Rs 4-5 lakh and subjected to abusive comments about her appearance. The judge observed: “Too much emphasis is laid on the death note of the complainant’s daughter. SC considers those very issues and convicts or affirms conviction of the husband and family, notwithstanding the death note blaming none.”