In a recent judgment, a fast-track court in Uttar Pradesh has convicted a man and his parents for the dowry death of his wife, sentencing the husband to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and his parents to seven years each. The case, which highlights the ongoing issues of dowry demands in marriages, concluded on Thursday with the announcement of the sentences.
Fast-track court judge Neha Garg found the husband, Meer Hasan, guilty under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 498A (cruelty by husband or relatives), 304B (dowry death), and 120B (criminal conspiracy), alongside provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act (Sections 3 and 4). Hasan has been sentenced to 10 years in jail and fined Rs 7,000, while his father, Liyakat, and mother, Shakila, received seven-year prison sentences and were fined Rs 2,000 each.
The case stems from an incident that occurred on December 14, 2022, when Shaheen, aged 30 and married to Meer Hasan since October 11, 2015, was allegedly beaten to death by her in-laws over unmet dowry demands. District Government Counsel Rajiv Sharma detailed that the victim’s mother filed a complaint stating that her daughter was continuously harassed for dowry. In an attempt to cover up the crime, the accused reportedly buried Shaheen’s body in Makhiyali village without notifying authorities.
