A sessions court in Indore has acquitted a 70-year-old retired Army havildar and his son of all charges related to the alleged dowry death and abetment of suicide of the son’s wife, citing insufficient evidence.
Additional Sessions Judge Anita Singh, in an order dated May 6, acquitted Shriram Rajput and his son Sanjeev Kumar Rajput (45) of charges under Sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 498-A (cruelty to a woman by husband or relatives) of the Indian Penal Code.
The case stemmed from the suicide of Sangeeta, who was found hanging at her residence on September 24, 2019. Married to Sanjeev Kumar since 2006, Sangeeta’s death was initially attributed to a domestic dispute allegedly involving demands for dowry.
According to the prosecution, the father-son duo had demanded ₹1 lakh as dowry and had allegedly subjected Sangeeta to harassment for not meeting the demand. Defence counsel Amit Singh Sisodia, however, argued that the prosecution failed to substantiate these claims, despite presenting six witnesses during the trial.
The court observed that the existence of domestic discord alone could not establish the offence of abetment to suicide. Citing established judicial precedents, the judge noted that mere allegations of a marital dispute do not suffice to hold someone criminally liable for inciting suicide without clear and compelling evidence.
“Without concrete evidence establishing a direct link between the accused and the act of suicide, the burden of proof remains unmet,” the court stated in its reasoning.
Following the acquittal, both Shriram Rajput and Sanjeev Kumar Rajput were relieved of all charges in the case.
