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HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT ALLAHABAD, LUCKNOW BENCH
?Court No. – 13
Case :- CRIMINAL MISC. BAIL APPLICATION No. – 8049 of 2022
Applicant :- Smt. Renu W/O Kishor @ Ram Kishor
Opposite Party :- State Of U.P. Thru. Prin. Secy. Home Lko.
Counsel for Applicant :- Abhishek Srivastava,Mohd. Mubeen,Vinay Kumar Verma
Counsel for Opposite Party :- G.A.
Hon’ble Shamim Ahmed,J.
Heard Sri Abhishek Srivastava, learned counsel for the applicant and Sri Aniruddh Kumar Singh, learned A.G.A.-1 for the State and perused the record.
Learned counsel for the applicant has filed rejoinder affidavit today in Court. The same is taken on record.
This bail application has been moved by the accused/applicant-Smt Renu for grant of bail in Case No.11880/2022/FIR No. 128/2022, under Sections 498A, 304B I.P.C. and Section 3/4 Dowry Prohibition Act, Police Station Hardoi.
Learned counsel for the applicant submits that as per prosecution case, on 26.04.2022 F.I.R. was lodged by the informant (father of the deceased) in relation to the incident dated 25.04.2022 against three persons, namely Sandeep (husband), Kishor (father-in-law) and Renu-mother-in-law (applicant) alleging therein that the marriage between the daughter of the informant and the son of the applicant took place four years ago and the first informant had given sufficient dowry at the time of marriage, but the husband of the deceased, father-in-law and mother-in-law (applicant) all were harassing the deceased and was subjected to cruelty for not bringing sufficient dowry in the marriage and ultimately the applicant and other family members killed the daughter of the informant.
Learned counsel for the applicant submits that the applicant is mother-in-law of the deceased. The entire prosecution story is false and fabricated. No such incident, as alleged by the prosecution took place. The deceased committed suicide by hanging herself in a room. The applicant is is innocent and has been falsely implicated in the present case. She has no concerned regarding dispute or regarding committing suicide of the deceased.
Learned counsel for the applicant further submits that the marriage between the son of the applicant and the deceased was solemnized on 28.04.2018 according to Hindu rites and rituals. There was no demand of dowry from the side of the applicant nor any demand was ever made. He further submits that the deceased, who is the daughter of the first informant was never subjected to any kind of harassment/cruelty due to demand of dowry.
Learned counsel for the applicant further submits that it is case of the applicant that the applicant was having separate kitchen from the deceased for the last two years and deceased was living with her husband separately from the applicant and this fact has been stated in paragraph 14 of the affidavit filed in support of the bail application.
Learned counsel for the applicant further submits that the deceased was a short tempered lady and she was always pressurizing her husband to live separately on some other place and on denial she was living under pressure and committed suicide. He further submits that the applicant has not pressurized the deceased to commit suicide, she was falsely implicated in the present case, only because she is the mother-in-law of the deceased.
Learned counsel for the applicant further submits that the deceased committed suicide by hanging herself in a room. The cause of death is asphyxia due to ante-mortem hanging and there is no other injury found on the body of the deceased except one injury which is as under:
“An oblique ligature mark 26 cm x 2.5 cm present on all around the neck above thyroid cartilage and passing obliquely upward backward along the line of mandible with a gap of 5cm lateral aspect of left side of neck ligature mark situated at 9cm below left ear and 6cm below right ear, base of groove of ligature mark are parchment like.
On opening subcutaneous tissue underneath the ligature mark white hard and glistering.”
Learned counsel for the applicant further submits that since as per the Modi’s Jurisprudence and as per the post-mortem report of the deceased, it is a case of hanging and not the strangulation or murder, and as general role has been assigned to all the accused persons.
Learned counsel for the applicant has relied upon the judgment of Hon’ble Apex Court in the case of Geeta Mehrotra Vs. State of U.P., (2012) 10 SCC 741 and has submitted that these facts have also been taken cognizance by the Apex Court whereby the Court stated that there are large number of false and frivolous cases lodged against the entire family members and submitted that there are general allegations against all the accused persons, therefore giving benefit of the judgment of Apex Court in the case of Geeta Mehrotra (supra) the applicant is liable to be released on bail.
Several other submissions in order to demonstrate the falsity of the allegations made against the applicant have also been placed forth before the Court. The circumstances which, according to the counsel, led to the false implication of the accused have also been touched upon at length. It has been assured on behalf of the applicant that she is ready to cooperate with the process of law and shall faithfully make herself available before the court whenever required and is also ready to accept all the conditions which the Court may deem fit to impose upon her. It has also been pointed out that the accused is not having any criminal history, which has been explained in para 21 of the affidavit filed in support of the bail application and the applicant is in jail since 30.04.2022 and has by now done a substantial period of incarceration, therefore, the bail application of the applicant may also be considered by this Court sympathetically and she should also be released on bail.
Learned A.G.A. opposed the prayer for bail and submits that as the daughter of the informant has died, therefore, bail application may be rejected.
After perusing the record in the light of the submissions made at the bar and after taking an overall view of all the facts and circumstances of this case, the nature of evidence, the period of detention already undergone, the unlikelihood of early conclusion of trial and also in the absence of any convincing material to indicate the possibility of tampering with the evidence and considering the fact that the case of the applicant is that the applicant was living separately from the deceased and was having separate kitchen from the deceased for the last two years and as per averment made by the learned counsel for the applicant no such demand was ever made by the applicant prior or after the marriage; as per the Modi’s Jurisprudence and as per the post-mortem report of the deceased, it is a case of hanging and not the strangulation or murder and further considering the larger mandate of the Article 21 of the Constitution of India and the law laid down by the Hon’ble Apex Court in the case of Dataram Singh vs. State of UP and another, reported in (2018) 3 SCC 22 and Geeta Mehrotra (supra) this Court is of the view that the applicant may be enlarged on bail.
The prayer for bail is granted. The application is allowed.
Let the applicant-Smt Renu involved in Case No.11880/2022/FIR No. 128/2022, under Sections 498A, 304B I.P.C. and Section 3/4 Dowry Prohibition Act, Police Station Hardoi be released on bail on her executing a personal bond and two sureties each in the like amount to the satisfaction of the court concerned on the following conditions :-
(1) The applicant will not make any attempt to tamper with the prosecution evidence in any manner whatsoever.
(2) The applicant will personally appear on each and every date fixed in the court below and her personal presence shall not be exempted unless the court itself deems it fit to do so in the interest of justice.
(3) The applicant shall cooperate in the trial sincerely without seeking any adjournment.
(4) The applicant shall not indulge in any criminal activity or commission of any crime after being released on bail.
(5) In case, the applicant misuses the liberty of bail during trial, in order to secure her presence, proclamation under section 82 Cr.P.C. is issued and the applicant fails to appear before the court on the date fixed in such proclamation, then, the trial court shall initiate proceedings against her, in accordance with law, under Section 174-A of the Indian Penal Code.
(6) The applicant shall remain present, before the trial court on the dates fixed for (i) opening of the case, (ii) framing of charge and (iii) recording of statement under Section 313 Cr.P.C. If in the opinion of the trial court absence of the applicant is deliberate or without sufficient cause, then it shall be open for the trial court to treat such default as abuse of liberty of bail and proceed against her in accordance with law.
(7) The party shall file computer generated copy of such order downloaded from the official website of High Court Allahabad or certified copy issued from the Registry of the High Court, Allahabad.
(8) The concerned Court/Authority/Official shall verify the authenticity of such computerized copy of the order from the official website of High Court Allahabad and shall make a declaration of such verification in writing.
It may be observed that in the event of any breach of the aforesaid conditions, the court below shall be at liberty to proceed for the cancellation of applicant’s bail.
It is clarified that the observations, if any, made in this order are strictly confined to the disposal of the bail application and must not be construed to have any reflection on the ultimate merits of the case.
Order Date :- 16.8.2022
Arvind
