SC relief for kin of Dalit man who died by suicide

India Supreme Court (File)

The Supreme Court has granted anticipatory bail to the brother and brother-in-law of a Dalit man who reportedly died by suicide after his wife’s family levelled kidnapping charges against him.

A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud, Indu Malhotra and Indira Banerjee granted the relief on Wednesday. The man had married a woman from the OBC community, and the allegations were made a day after the marriage. The woman had then gone back to her family.

The deceased had married the woman on August 23, 2019, at an Arya Samaj Mandir. The next day, the woman’s uncle lodged an FIR accusing him and his family of kidnapping and criminal intimidation.

The groom and his family filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court on September 25, 2019 for quashing the FIR.
“The Allahabad High Court in its order dated 25 September 2019, noted that in pursuance of its directions, the victim had appeared in-person and ‘expressed her willingness’ to go with her parents,” the Supreme Court order pointed out.

The man died the next day — September 26, 2019 — which led to the registration of a separate case. In her statement dated October 9, 2019, the woman levelled rape charges against his family.

The HC earlier granted anticipatory bail to three women members of his family but the brother and brother-in-law did not get the relief, following which they appealed in the apex court.

Appearing for them, Advocate Bhuwan Raj said the woman’s statement was given almost two weeks after she went with her parents and that the appellants were “falsely implicated”.

Granting them anticipatory bail, the Supreme Court, however, refrained from making any comments on the merits as the case is still pending.

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