Early Times Report Jammu, May 19: Principal Sessions Judge, Bhaderwah, M K Sharma today awarded rigorous life imprisonment to a young woman's in-laws for murdering her after she failed to satiate their desire for more dowry. Her father-in-law Satish Kumar, mother-in-law Ram Payari and Satish's sister Dhaneshwari Devi had caught hold of her and then smothered her to death. Deepika Kumari (22) was married to Anil Kumar in December 2009, and the couple was blessed with a daughter. The accused used to harass and beat her for want of more dowry. On March 11, 2011, all the accused called Deepika to a room to prepare tea for them. In the room, they caught hold of her and smothered her to death. Police had registered a case and after completion of investigation, presented challan in the court. After hearing the two sides, the judge said it was not an exceptional case in which instead of life imprisonment, death sentence could be awarded. "Though it is a case of a death of a young bride, it does not fall in the category of rarest of rare cases where the death sentence is warranted. The convicts are, therefore, sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for life and ordered to pay a fine of Rs 5,000 each for the commission of offence under sections 302 and 34 of RPC," the court directed. |