Wife commits suicide as husband wanted to marry her sister

Husband gets jail for abetment of suicide

S Shyam Prasad | NT

Bengaluru: A petition filed by a woman before a Masjid Committee became evidence in the High Court of Karnataka which upheld the sentence against a husband for abetment of suicide and cruelty. A panchayat was held by a Masjid Committee, in which the husband apologised for his deeds against his wife.

The wife had complained against him and the same document was produced before the High Court. The translation of the complaint said, “The accused looked after Reshma Taj for about a month after marriage. Then he started irking her by taking silly issues.

His main grievance was actually that the younger sister of Reshma Taj was proposed to be given in marriage to him, instead, marriage was performed with Reshma Taj, for which he was unhappy and he expressed his desire to marry her sister also and he started looking at her younger sister with bad intention.

He also started taunting her saying that she was short and not good-looking. He also tried to marry another girl.”“These documents, which are not at all disputed by the accused, reflect on the conduct of the accused in treating his wife,” the HC said.

Mohammed Ayoob from Chikkaballapur was married to Reshma Taj in 2005. Taj died in 2007. Her parents complained to the police that she was burnt to death by her husband as they could not meet the demands for dowry. The Trial Court found him guilty under the Dowry Prohibition Act and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in 2008.

The cause of the death of Taj was found to be suicide, and the Trial Court concluded that she had committed suicide due to the harassment for dowry. Ayoob approached the HC against the conviction. The HC found that the allegations of dowry were not proved. So “conviction for the offenses under Sections 3, 4, and 6 of the Dowry Prohibition Act and Section 304B IPC (Dowry death) is set aside, and the accused is acquitted of these offences,” the HC said.

However, it found him guilty of cruelty and abetment of suicide. The HC quoted the letter she had written to the Masjid Committee and the testimony borne out by her parents. The HC said, “Conviction of the accused for the offences under Sections 498A (harassment of married woman) and 306 (abetment of suicide) is sustained.

The sentence imposed by the trial court for the offence under Section 498A IPC is sustained. But the sentence for the offence under Section 306 IPC is reduced to three years of rigorous imprisonment. A fine of Rs 5000 is sustained.” Ayoob was directed to surrender before the Trial Court to serve the remaining part of his sentence.