State of Chhattisgarh v. Ajay Nirmalkar
Case brief
What is this about?
High Court of Chhattisgarh, Bilaspur | ACQA No. 261 of 2018 | decided 02/07/2026 | DB: Sanjay S. Agrawal & Narendra Kumar Vyas, JJ. (per Sanjay S. Agrawal, J.) | State appeal under S.378 CrPC against acquittal (Sessions Trial No.130/2016, FTC Janjgir) for offences u/Ss.304-B/34 & 302/34 IPC (dowry death / burn injury, death 14/08/2016, marriage 01/05/2016). Held: prosecution failed to prove dowry-demand harassment; PW-1, PW-2, PW-9 and PW-15 deposed deceased never complained and lived happily; husband handicapped/unable to walk; acquittal free from illegality; appeal dismissed. Keywords: acquittal affirmed; dowry death; 304-B IPC; 302 IPC; burn injury; delayed report (24/08/2016); husband's disability; no interference u/S 378 CrPC.
What did the court decide?
From the testimony of the deceased's brothers (PW-1, PW-2), sister (PW-9) and father (PW-15), the deceased was not harassed and maltreated on account of any demand of dowry; she lived happily in her in-laws' house and never raised complaints, and any unhappiness was because her husband was physically disabled (handicapped and unable to walk), not because of dowry.