IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA G APPL (DB) No 21 of 2011 The State Of Bihar Versus Santosh Gupta & Anr ----------- 2 26.07.2011 This is a State Appeal against acquittal. The appeal is delayed by over three months with hardly any plausible explanation. We have heard the learned Government Counsel on merit as well. Respondents were charged under Sections 304B, 201/34 of Indian Penal Code for allegedly causing death of a bride on failure to meet dowry demand. We have examined the judgment in detail. There are only two important prosecution witnesses. First is the mother of the deceased bride and the other is the brother of the deceased bride. The mother, though in her examination-in-chief states that soon after marriage (15 days), her daughter had informed that the in-laws were demanding Rs 50,000/- to start a shop and on failure to pay, she was being assaulted. In her cross-examination, she admits that this information she received from her son and she did not know how to operate mobile phone as she was totally illiterate, thus, giving a complete go bye to her earlier version. The son then deposed that he had learnt from someone that his sister had been burnt for non-payment of Rs 50,000/-, as demanded earlier. He neither could name the person nor means of communication. The Investigating Officer was then examined who has admitted that it had come in investigation that the bride in fact had committed suicide because of the fact that her husband proved to be totally impotent and she had gone in an acute depression because of that. 2 Further, we find that P W 7 is a close relation of the informant and resident of the village where the occurrence took place. He is also witness to the seizure list. In his deposition, he has not corroborated or supported the story of dowry or cruelty because of its non- payment. Having perused the judgment, we are of the view that the learned Sessions Judge has fully appreciated the evidence and rightly given benefit of doubt to the accused persons and acquitted them. We have no reason to disagree. This appeal is, accordingly, dismissed. M.E.H./ (Navaniti Prasad Singh) (Ashwani Kumar Singh)