For conviction in dowry death, establish cruelty first: SC

March 17, 2013

The Supreme Court has said that for seeking the conviction of a person accused of causing dowry death, the prosecution has to produce evidence that establishes that the demand for dowry was coupled with acts of harassment and cruelty.

For the court to draw the presumption that the accused had caused the dowry death, the "prosecution has to prove, besides the demand of dowry, harassment or cruelty caused by the accused to the deceased soon before her death", the Supreme court bench of Justice A.K. Patnaik and Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya said in a recent judgment.