Mumbai: In-laws of woman who killed herself, child let off as her dad turns hostile

MUMBAI: Almost a decade after Kandivli resident

Krutika

Patel jumped off a highrise after pushing her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter to death, a sessions court acquitted her husband and in-laws as he father turned hostile in court and failed to recognise her handwriting in the purported suicide note.

While Krutika’s father

Vallabhdas Raiyani

had initially accused the husband’s family of instigating her to die by suicide through their harassment, in court he claimed that he did not know why she took her life.

“The complainant...has unequivocally admitted that he was not in a proper mental condition due to the suicide and death of his deceased daughter whereby he had lodged the report against the accused (sic) in angry mood but he does not know what are the contents thereof and the deceased Krutika never narrated to him that there was any demand or harassment to her on the part of any accused,” additional sessions judge A Z Khan said in the judgement.

Among those acquitted were Krutika’s husband Kaushal Patel (44), a civil contractor, her parents in law, Gopal Patel (70), a labour contractor, and

Rama Patel

(65), a homemaker and her sister-in-law

Tanvi Patel

(41), also a homemaker.

On October 22, 2012,

Raiyani

received the message that his daughter and grand-daughter had died. Two days later, after completing the last rites, he complained to the cops and a case was registered against the Patels for offences relating to cruelty, dowry death, abetment to suicide and criminal breach of trust.

The prosecution submitted that Krutika got married to Kaushal in 2009. It was submitted that she gave birth to a girl, but the accused were displeased. Hence, they used to taunt her and mentally and physically harass her. The prosecution alleged that they used to refuse to buy her necessary medicines and in August 2012, they asked her to bring Rs 7 to 8 lakh from her parents for the interior decoration of the newly-purchased flat. It was further submitted that when she failed to bring the money, the harassment worsened, due to which on October 22, 2012, she jumped off the building.

The prosecution examined only Krutika’s father as witness. After he turned hostile, the case was closed. While the father admitted there was some domestic dispute between his daughter and son-in-law, he said he did not know why she died by suicide.

Acquitting the four, the court said, “The prosecution has failed to prove that the accused...in furtherance of your common intention since May 3, 2009 to October 22, 2012 committed the dowry death subjected to cruelty…by wilful conduct by torturing physically and mentally by unlawful demand the cash etc.”