CHARAN SINGH @ CHARANJIT SINGHversusTHE STATE OF UTTARAKHAND

                        [2023] 3 S.C.R. 511                            511


           CHARAN SINGH @ CHARANJIT SINGH                              A
                                 v.
                THE STATE OF UTTARAKHAND
                 (Criminal Appeal No. 447 of 2012)
                                                                       B
                          APRIL 20, 2023
        [ABHAY S. OKA AND RAJESH BINDAL, JJ.]
       Penal Code, 1860 : ss. 304 B, 498 A and 201 – Dowry Death
– Presumption as to dowry death – Prosecution case that woman
married two years ago, killed by her husband-appellant and in-         C
laws for dowry – Death was unnatural and the victim was cremated
without even informing her parents – Trial court convicted the
appellant, brother-in-law and mother-in-law u/ss. 304 B, 498 A and
201 and sentenced them to undergo rigorous imprisonment for ten
years u/s 304B, rigorous imprisonment for two years respectively u/    D
ss. 498A and 201 – In appeal, the conviction and sentence of the
brother-in-law and mother-in-law set aside whereas the conviction
of the appellant upheld, however, the sentence u/s. 304B reduced
to seven years – On appeal, held: In the evidence led by the
prosecution, none of the witnesses stated about the cruelty or
                                                                       E
harassment to the victim by the appellant or any of his family
members on account of demand of dowry soon before the death or
otherwise – Rather harassment not been narrated by anyone – Only
certain oral averments regarding demand of motorcycle and land
which was also much prior to the incident – Evidence led by the
prosecution did not fulfil the pre-requisites to invoke presumption    F
u/s. 304B or s.113B of the Evidence Act – Even the ingredients of s.
498A not made out – Mere death of the victim being unnatural in
the matrimonial home within seven years of marriage not sufficient
to convict the accused u/ss. 304B and 498A – Cause of death as
such not known – Thus, the conviction and sentence of the appellant    G
u/ss. 304B, 498A and 201 not justified – Impugned judgment of the
High Court set aside – Evidence Act – s. 113 B.
      Baijnath v. State of M.P (2017) 1 SCC 101 : [2016] 11
      SCR 764 – referred to.
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                                511
512            SUPREME COURT REPORTS                          [2023] 3 S.C.R.


A                             Case Law Reference
      [2016] 11 SCR 764                  referred to                Para 6
            CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Criminal Appeal No.
      447 of 2012.
B            From the Judgment and Order dated 11.06.2010 of the High Court
      of Uttaranchal at Nainital in CRLA Nos. 387 of 2001 and 1667 of 1997.
            Shubhranshu Padhi, Dr. (Mrs.) Vipin Gupta, Advs. for the
      Appellant.
            Jatinder Kumar Bhatia, Krishnam Mishra, Param Kumar Mishra,
C     Advs. for the Respondent.
            The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
            RAJESH BINDAL, J.
             1. The appellant, who was husband of the deceased, has filed the
D     present appeal challenging his conviction and sentence under sections
      304B, 498A and 201 of Indian Penal Code, 1860 (for short, ‘IPC’). The
      Trial Court had sentenced the appellant to undergo rigorous imprisonment
      for 10 years under Section 304B, 2 years under Section 498A and 2
      years under Section 201 IPC. However, the High Court of Uttarakhand
      at Nainital had reduced the sentence of the appellant under Section 304B
E     IPC from ten years to seven years.
             2. The appellant and deceased Chhilo Kaur got married in the
      year 1993. The deceased was residing in her matrimonial home. On
      24.6.1995 at 6.15 p.m. father of the deceased, Pratap Singh (PW-1)
      filed complaint with the P.S. Jaspur stating that his daughter Chhilo Kaur
F     was married to the appellant about two years ago. In the marriage, he
      had given sufficient dowry as per his status. Two months after the
      marriage, his daughter came to her parental home and told the complainant
      (PW-1) that her in-laws are asking her to bring a motorcycle as the
      same was not given in dowry. The complainant pacified his daughter
G     stating that at present he is not capable of giving motorcycle, however,
      whenever he is in a position to do so, he will certainly give and sent his
      daughter back to her matrimonial home. Thereafter, whenever his
      daughter came to the parental home, she used to talk about the demand
      of motorcycle and subsequently after about one year of marriage, the
      demand for land was also made. Every time he used to pacify his daughter
H
  CHARAN SINGH @ CHARANJIT SINGH v. THE STATE OF                            513
        UTTARAKHAND [RAJESH BINDAL, J.]

and sent her back. On the previous day i.e. on 23.6.1995, one Jagir         A
Singh of village Bhogpur Dam, where his daughter lived after marriage
with the appellant came to complainant and told him that his daughter,
Chhilo Kaur has been murdered by her in-laws. On getting the information,
the complainant along with his wife came to village Bhogpur Dam on
24.6.1995 and were shocked to know that on 22.6.1995 in the morning
                                                                            B
at about 8.00 a.m., his daughter was beaten up and strangulated to death
by her husband Charan Singh, (the appellant herein), brother-in-law,
Gurmeet Singh (accused no.2) and mother-in-law Santo Kaur (accused
no.3). They had cremated the dead body without even informing the
complainant. She was killed on account of non-fulfilment of demand of
motorbike and land in dowry. The matter was investigated and chargesheet    C
was filed against Charan Singh, Gurmeet Singh and Santo Kaur.
       3. The prosecution examined six witnesses and defence examined
one witness. The Trial Court, after evaluating the evidence, convicted
Charan Singh (appellant), Gurmeet Singh and Santo Kaur under Sections
304B, 498A and 201 IPC and sentenced them to undergo rigorous               D
imprisonment for ten years u/s 304B IPC, rigorous imprisonment for
two years u/s 498A IPC and rigorous imprisonment for two years u/s
201 IPC. In appeal filed by the convicts before the High Court, the
conviction and sentence of Gurmeet Singh (brother-in-law) and Santo
Kaur (mother-in-law) under Section 304B, 498A and 201 IPC were set
aside and they were acquitted of the charges, whereas the conviction of     E
the appellant was upheld. However, the sentence of rigorous imprisonment
of ten years under Section 304B IPC, awarded to the appellant was
reduced to seven years. It is the aforesaid judgment of the High Court
which is under challenge in the present appeal.
        4. Mr. Shubhranshu Padhi, learned counsel who was requested to      F
assist the Court as an amicus curiae on account of absence of the counsel
who filed the appeal, submitted that the conviction and sentence of the
appellant cannot be legally sustained either under Sections 304B or 498A
IPC. The pre-requisites for raising presumption under Section 304B IPC
is that soon before the death, the deceased had been subjected to cruelty   G
or harassment for or in connection with any demand of dowry. The
presumption in regard to dowry death can be raised in terms of Section
113B of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (for short, ‘IEA’) only if it is
shown that soon before death, such woman had been subjected to cruelty
or harassment for, or in connection with the demand of dowry.
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514                SUPREME COURT REPORTS                      [2023] 3 S.C.R.


A            5. If the evidence led by the prosecution is examined, no case for
      conviction under Section 304B or 498A IPC can possibly be made out
      as none of the witnesses have stated that there was any harassment or
      cruelty to the deceased or demand of dowry immediately before her
      death. The marriage took place in the year 1993, the deceased died on
      22.6.1995. None of the family members of the deceased including her
B
      father, maternal grandmother or the maternal uncle have stated anything
      about the harassment of the deceased immediately before her death in
      connection with demand of dowry. In fact, the maternal grandmother
      and two maternal uncles who were living at distance of about one farlang
      from the village of the deceased were even present at the time of her
C     cremation. They did not raise any issue either by lodging a complaint to
      the police or otherwise. In fact, it was admitted by the maternal
      grandmother and the uncles of the deceased that after the cremation,
      with the intervention of the panchayat, they had collected all the dowry
      articles. It was further submitted that intimation was also given to the
D     father of the deceased who in fact was living at a distance of about 290
      kms. However, the cremation could not be delayed on account of waiting
      for the arrival of the father of the deceased.
             6. It was further argued that one material witness, Jagir Singh,
      who was named by the complainant in the FIR, has not been produced
E     by the prosecution in evidence. He is the person who according to the
      complainant is a resident of village Bhogpur Dam, where the deceased
      used to live in her matrimonial home. He had informed the complainant
      about the death of his daughter. Why this material witness was withheld
      by the prosecution? As per the statement of the I.O. Babban Singh, who
      appeared as PW-6, during investigation the statement of Jagir Singh
F
      was recorded. Once the ingredients of Sections 304B, 498A IPC and
      Section 113B of IEA are not made out, no presumption of dowry death
      can be raised. In support of the arguments, reliance was placed on
      Baijnath v. State of M.P1. It was further argued that the allegations
      against the appellant, his brother and mother were same. However,
G     against acquittal of his brother and mother, no appeal has been preferred
      by the State and death of the wife of the appellant was not unnatural as
      she was suffering from fits. In her cross-examination, the maternal
      grandmother admitted that the deceased had fits.

H     1
          (2017) 1 SCC 101
  CHARAN SINGH @ CHARANJIT SINGH v. THE STATE OF                              515
        UTTARAKHAND [RAJESH BINDAL, J.]

         7. On the other hand, learned counsel for the State submitted that   A
it is a case in which a young woman was killed by her in-laws in lust for
dowry. The marriage was merely two years old and the death was
unnatural. The deceased was cremated without even informing her
parents. The maternal grandmother and the two uncles who were present
at the time of cremation had seen injury marks on the body of the deceased
                                                                              B
and also the broken tooth. They could not lodge the complaint as they
were threatened. The death occurred in the matrimonial home, hence
onus lies heavily on the appellant to dislodge the presumption. There is
sufficient material on record in the form of statements of witnesses
produced by the prosecution that there was repeated demand for dowry
by the appellant. There is no error in the judgment of the High Court.        C
Sufficient indulgence has already been shown by the High Court by
reducing the sentence of the appellant from ten years to minimum seven
years as provided under Section 304B of the IPC.
      8. Heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the relevant
record.                                                                       D
       9. The marriage of the appellant with the deceased was solemnised
in the year 1993. She died on 22.6.1995. FIR was registered on the
complaint of the father of the deceased on 24.6.1995 against Charan
Singh, the appellant herein, brother-in-law, Gurmeet Singh and mother-
in-law Santo Kaur. However, in appeal filed by the convicts before the        E
High Court, brother-in-law, Gurmeet Singh and mother-in-law, Santo Kaur
were acquitted whereas the conviction of the appellant was upheld. The
sentence awarded to the appellant under Section 304B IPC was reduced
from ten years rigorous imprisonment to seven years rigorous
imprisonment. The sentence of two years rigorous imprisonment each
                                                                              F
awarded under Section 498A and Section 201 IPC was affirmed.
       10. The conviction of the appellant is under Sections 304B and
498A IPC raising presumption regarding dowry death within seven years
of marriage. To appreciate the arguments raised by the learned counsel
for the parties, a perusal of Section 304B and 498A IPC and Section
                                                                              G
113B of the Indian Evidence Act would be required. The same are
extracted hereinbelow:-
      “304B. Dowry death .— (1) Where the death of a woman is
      caused by any burns or bodily injury or occurs otherwise than
      under normal circumstances within seven years of her marriage
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516      SUPREME COURT REPORTS                         [2023] 3 S.C.R.


A     and it is shown that soon before her death she was subjected to
      cruelty or harassment by her husband or any relative of her
      husband for, or in connection with, any demand for dowry, such
      death shall be called “dowry death”, and such husband or relative
      shall be deemed to have caused her death.
B     Explanation.—For the purpose of this sub-section, “dowry” shall
      have the same meaning as in Section 2 of the Dowry Prohibition
      Act, 1961 (28 of 1961).
      (2) Whoever commits dowry death shall be punished with
      imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than seven years
C     but which may extend to imprisonment for life.
      498-A. Husband or relative of husband of a woman
      subjecting her to cruelty — Whoever, being the husband or
      the relative of the husband of a woman, subjects such woman to
      cruelty shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may
D     extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine.
      Explanation.—For the purposes of this section, “cruelty” means
      —
         (a) any wilful conduct which is of such a nature as is likely to
         drive the woman to commit suicide or to cause grave injury or
E        danger to life, limb or health (whether mental or physical) of
         the woman; or
         (b) harassment of the woman where such harassment is with
         a view to coercing her or any person related to her to meet
         any unlawful demand for any property or valuable security or
F        is on account of failure by her or any person related to her to
         meet such demand.
      113B. Presumption as to dowry death.— When the question
      is whether a person has committed the dowry death of a woman
      and it is shown that soon before her death such woman had been
G     subjected by such person to cruelty or harassment for, or in
      connection with, any demand for dowry, the Court shall presume
      that such person had caused the dowry death.
      Explanation.—For the purposes of this section, “dowry death”
      shall have the same meaning as in Section 304-B of Indian Penal
H     Code (45 of 1860)”.
  CHARAN SINGH @ CHARANJIT SINGH v. THE STATE OF                             517
        UTTARAKHAND [RAJESH BINDAL, J.]

       11. The interpretation of Sections 304B and 498A IPC came up          A
for consideration in Baijnath’s case (supra). The opinion was summed
up in paras 25 to 27 thereof, which are extracted below:-
      “25. Whereas in the offence of dowry death defined by Section
      304-B of the Code, the ingredients thereof are:
         (i)     death of the woman concerned is by any burns or bodily      B
                 injury or by any cause other than in normal
                 circumstances, and
         (ii)    is within seven years of her marriage, and
         (iii)   that soon before her death, she was subjected to cruelty    C
                 or harassment by her husband or any relative of the
                 husband for, or in connection with, any demand for
                 dowry.
         The offence under Section 498-A of the Code is attracted qua
      the husband or his relative if she is subjected to cruelty. The        D
      Explanation to this Section exposits “cruelty” as:
         (i)     any wilful conduct which is of such a nature as is likely
                 to drive the woman to commit suicide or to cause grave
                 injury or danger to life, limb or health (whether mental
                 or physical), or
                                                                             E
         (ii)    harassment of the woman, where such harassment is
                 with a view to coercing her or any person related to her
                 to meet any unlawful demand for any property or
                 valuable security or is on account of failure by her or
                 any person related to her to meet such demand.
                                                                             F
      26. Patently thus, cruelty or harassment of the lady by her husband
      or his relative for or in connection with any demand for any
      property or valuable security as a demand for dowry or in
      connection therewith is the common constituent of both the
      offences.
                                                                             G
      27. The expression “dowry” is ordained to have the same meaning
      as in Section 2 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961. The expression
      “cruelty”, as explained, contains in its expanse, apart from the
      conduct of the tormentor, the consequences precipitated thereby
      qua the lady subjected thereto. Be that as it may, cruelty or
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518            SUPREME COURT REPORTS                            [2023] 3 S.C.R.


A           harassment by the husband or any relative of his for or in connection
            with any demand of dowry, to reiterate, is the gravamen of the
            two offences.
            12. As the aforesaid case was also pertaining to dowry death,
      presumption under Section 113B of the Indian Evidence Act was also
B     discussed in detail in paras 29 to 31 of the aforesaid judgment. The same
      are extracted below:-
            “29. Noticeably this presumption as well is founded on the proof
            of cruelty or harassment of the woman dead for or in connection
            with any demand for dowry by the person charged with the
C           offence. The presumption as to dowry death thus would get
            activated only upon the proof of the fact that the deceased lady
            had been subjected to cruelty or harassment for or in connection
            with any demand for dowry by the accused and that too in the
            reasonable contiguity of death. Such a proof is thus the legislatively
            mandated prerequisite to invoke the otherwise statutorily ordained
D           presumption of commission of the offence of dowry death by the
            person charged therewith.
            30. A conjoint reading of these three provisions, thus predicate
            the burden of the prosecution to unassailably substantiate the
            ingredients of the two offences by direct and convincing evidence
E           so as to avail the presumption engrafted in Section 113-B of the
            Act against the accused. Proof of cruelty or harassment by the
            husband or his relative or the person charged is thus the sine qua
            non to inspirit the statutory presumption, to draw the person charged
            within the coils thereof. If the prosecution fails to demonstrate by
F           cogent, coherent and persuasive evidence to prove such fact, the
            person accused of either of the above referred offences cannot
            be held guilty by taking refuge only of the presumption to cover
            up the shortfall in proof.
            31. The legislative primature of relieving the prosecution of the
G           rigour of the proof of the often practically inaccessible recesses
            of life within the guarded confines of a matrimonial home and of
            replenishing the consequential void, by according a presumption
            against the person charged, cannot be overeased to gloss over
            and condone its failure to prove credibly, the basic facts enumerated
            in the sections involved, lest justice is the casualty”.
H
  CHARAN SINGH @ CHARANJIT SINGH v. THE STATE OF                              519
        UTTARAKHAND [RAJESH BINDAL, J.]

      13. A conjoint reading of Section 304B IPC and Section 113B of          A
the Indian Evidence Act with reference to the presumption raised was
discussed in para 32 of the aforesaid judgment, which is extracted below:-
      “32. This Court while often dwelling on the scope and purport of
      Section 304-B of the Code and Section 113-B of the Act have
      propounded that the presumption is contingent on the fact that the      B
      prosecution first spell out the ingredients of the offence of Section
      304-B as in Shindo v. State of Punjab [Shindo v. State of
      Punjab, (2011) 11 SCC 517 : (2011) 3 SCC (Cri) 394] and echoed
      in Rajeev Kumar v. State of Haryana [Rajeev Kumar v. State
      of Haryana, (2013) 16 SCC 640 : (2014) 6 SCC (Cri) 346] . In
      the latter pronouncement, this Court propounded that one of the         C
      essential ingredients of dowry death under Section 304-B of the
      Code is that the accused must have subjected the woman to cruelty
      in connection with demand for dowry soon before her death and
      that this ingredient has to be proved by the prosecution beyond
      reasonable doubt and only then the Court will presume that the          D
      accused has committed the offence of dowry death under Section
      113-B of the Act. It referred to with approval, the earlier decision
      of this Court in K. Prema S. Rao v. Yadla Srinivasa Rao [K.
      Prema S. Rao v. Yadla Srinivasa Rao, (2003) 1 SCC 217 : 2003
      SCC (Cri) 271] to the effect that to attract the provision of Section
      304-B of the Code, one of the main ingredients of the offence           E
      which is required to be established is that “soon before her death”
      she was subjected to cruelty and harassment “in connection with
      the demand for dowry”.
       14. With reference to the legal position as referred to above, the
matter is now required to be examined as to whether the case in hand          F
falls in the category where the presumption can be raised against the
appellant relieving the prosecution from proving its case and putting the
onus on the accused/appellant.
      15. The date of death of the deceased is 22.6.1995. She was
cremated on the same day. The stand taken by the appellant was that           G
the parents of the deceased were informed who were living about 290
kms. away. However, they could not reach on time. It was further
submitted that the maternal grandmother and two maternal uncles who
were living at a distance of about one furlong from the matrimonial
residence of the deceased when she died were present at the time of           H
520            SUPREME COURT REPORTS                           [2023] 3 S.C.R.


A     cremation. They neither raised any issue nor did they inform the police.
      Rather on the intervention of the panchayat, they had taken all the dowry
      articles.
             16. The cruelty or harassment has to be soon before the death. In
      his evidence, Pratap Singh (PW-1), father of the deceased stated that
B     two months after the marriage his daughter came to the parental home
      stating that the appellant was demanding motorcycle, however, she was
      sent back. Thereafter, she again came and apprised him that the demand
      of motorcycle was being pressed by the appellant. Besides motorcycle,
      land was also demanded. There is nothing in the statement that any such
      demand was raised immediately before the death as the incidents sought
C     to be referred to are quite old. He admitted in his cross examination that
      at the time of funeral, his mother-in-law and two brothers-in-law were
      present. However, they were threatened not to lodge the complaint.
      Balbir Singh (PW-2), maternal uncle of the deceased, merely stated that
      at the time of marriage sufficient dowry was given by the father of the
D     deceased. However, later he heard that the appellant had demanded the
      motorcycle. In his cross-examination, he admitted that he was living at
      the distance of about one furlong from the house of the appellant. No
      dowry was demanded at the time of marriage of the deceased. He did
      not state that the deceased ever shared with him about the demand of
      dowry or any harassment on account of non-fulfilment thereof though
E     he was living close to the matrimonial house of the deceased.
             17. Beero Bai (PW-3), the maternal grandmother of the deceased,
      stated that her house is located at a distance of about one mile from the
      house of the appellant. She used to go to the house of the deceased. The
      deceased was being treated badly. She was not allowed to go to her
F     parental house. The deceased informed her that the appellant used to
      ask her to bring motorcycle from her maternal grandmother. After the
      death of her husband in February 1995, the appellant asked the deceased
      to get land from her maternal grandmother. On a demand made to her,
      she replied in negative. However, in her cross-examination, she stated
G     that the land was not demanded from her. Even in her statement, there
      is nothing to suggest that soon before the death, any cruelty or harassment
      was made to the deceased, either by the appellant or his family members.
      All what is stated is regarding the demand. There are no details of any
      cruelty or harassment, though this witness was living about a kilometre
      from the house of the deceased and is her maternal grandmother.
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  CHARAN SINGH @ CHARANJIT SINGH v. THE STATE OF                               521
        UTTARAKHAND [RAJESH BINDAL, J.]

       18. Joginder Singh (PW-4) is another witness produced by the            A
prosecution, who is maternal uncle of the deceased. He was declared
hostile.
     19. Rajindra Singh (PW-5), Sub Inspector was a formal witness
who had only registered the FIR and arrested the accused.
                                                                               B
      20. Babban Singh (PW-6), Circle Officer, Faridpur was the
Investigating Officer. In his examination-in-chief, he admitted that he
recorded the statement of Jagir Singh. He is the person who, as per the
complaint made to the police, had informed the father of the deceased
about the death of his daughter. However, he was not produced in
evidence.                                                                      C

       21. In the aforesaid evidence led by the prosecution, none of the
witnesses stated about the cruelty or harassment to the deceased by the
appellant or any of his family members on account of demand of dowry
soon before the death or otherwise. Rather harassment has not been
narrated by anyone. It is only certain oral averments regarding demand         D
of motorcycle and land which is also much prior to the incident. The
aforesaid evidence led by the prosecution does not fulfil the pre-requisites
to invoke presumption under Section 304B IPC or Section 113B of the
Indian Evidence Act. Even the ingredients of Section 498A IPC are not
made out for the same reason as there is no evidence of cruelty and            E
harassment to the deceased soon before her death.
       22. Defence had produced Gurmej Singh as DW-1, who was head
of the village at the time of incident. He stated that the information about
the death was given to the parents of the deceased and other family
members. He stated that belongings of the deceased were handed over            F
to her maternal grandmother and uncle after cremation. His statement
is in line with the admission made by Biro Bai (PW-3), maternal
grandmother, Balbir Singh (PW-2). Meaning thereby that there was no
suspicion regarding the death of the deceased.
       23. On a collective appreciation of the evidence led by the             G
prosecution, we are of the considered view that the pre-requisites to
raise presumption under Section 304B IPC and Section 113B of the
Indian Evidence Act having not been fulfilled, the conviction of the
appellant cannot be justified. Mere death of the deceased being unnatural
in the matrimonial home within seven years of marriage will not be
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522             SUPREME COURT REPORTS                         [2023] 3 S.C.R.


A     sufficient to convict the accused under Section 304B and 498A IPC.
      The cause of death as such is not known.
            24. For the reasons mentioned above, in our opinion, the conviction
      and sentence of the appellant under Section 304B, 498A and 201 IPC
      cannot be legally sustained. The appeal is accordingly allowed. The
B     impugned judgment of the High Court is set aside. The bail bonds stand
      cancelled.

      Nidhi Jain                                                 Appeal allowed.
      (Assisted by : Tamana, LCRA)

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