The Supreme Court has issued a strong rebuke against courts granting bail in dowry death cases without proper scrutiny, warning that such leniency risks normalizing a crime that continues to take innocent lives.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, while hearing a challenge to bail orders issued by the Allahabad High Court, emphasized that a superficial approach to bail undermines both the gravity of the crime and public faith in the justice system.
The case involved the alleged dowry-related murder of Shahida Bano, who was found dead in January 2024, less than two years after her marriage. According to the prosecution, her in-laws had persistently demanded dowry, initially a “Bullet” motorcycle, which was provided, and later a car, which the victim’s family could not afford. The harassment allegedly escalated into physical abuse, culminating in her death.
A post-mortem ruled out suicide, revealing multiple injuries and confirming death by strangulation. Despite this, the Allahabad High Court granted bail to several accused, citing factors like a lack of prior criminal records and the fact that some of the accused were women.
The Supreme Court, however, found strong prima facie evidence against the victim’s father-in-law and mother-in-law, citing their direct role in harassment and dowry demands. The bench canceled their bail, ordering their immediate surrender.
While upholding bail for the accused sisters-in-law due to their relatively lesser involvement, the Court made it clear that this decision was not an exoneration. The ruling sends a stark message: courts must rigorously assess bail requests in dowry death cases to ensure that justice is not diluted.
