Jharkhand HC: Not Providing Medical Aid to Wife for Dowry is Cruelty Under Section 498A IPC
The Jharkhand High Court recently ruled that not providing proper medical aid to a wife to enforce dowry demands amounts to cruelty under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Justice Ambuj Nath upheld the conviction of Sanjay Kumar Rai for committing cruelty against his wife, Neelam Devi, under Section 498A IPC.
The case involved three criminal revision pleas. The first was filed by Neelam Devi (later represented by her father, Ram Kripal Singh, after her death). The second was filed by her husband, Sanjay Kumar Rai, challenging his conviction under Section 498A. The third was filed by Neelam Devi’s father, challenging the acquittal of her brother-in-law, Bhageshwar Roy, under the same section.
Neelam Devi’s complaint stated that after marrying Sanjay Kumar Rai in June 2006, her in-laws tortured her in his absence. When she reported this to her husband, he demanded a car as dowry and eventually drove her away from her matrimonial home. Her in-laws then forced her to sign blank papers. She was consistently tortured over dowry demands and, when diagnosed with cancer, her husband refused treatment, claiming her father hadn’t provided enough dowry for her care.
The court examined evidence and witness testimonies, noting that general and vague allegations were made against the in-laws, with no concrete evidence of torture. The magistrate court’s acquittal of the in-laws was upheld due to lack of evidence.
However, the court found Sanjay Kumar Rai guilty of cruelty under Section 498A IPC for not providing medical aid to enforce dowry demands. His conviction was upheld, and his revision plea was dismissed.
This case, titled “Ram Kripal Singh vs. The State of Jharkhand and others,” along with connected revision petitions, highlights the severe legal consequences of dowry-related abuse and reinforces the protections under Section 498A IPC.
