IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE OF ANDHRAPRADESH AT HYDERABAD HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE SAMUDRALA GOVINDARAJULU CRIMINAL APPEAL No.2405 of 2004 DATE: 11.08.2011 Between: The State rep. by its Public Prosecutor, High Court of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad. …… Petitioner And Vidyapogula Samulu and others. Respondents HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE SAMUDRALA GOVINDARAJULU CRIMINAL APPEAL No.2405 of 2004 JUDGMENT: The Public Prosecutor filed this appeal against acquittal of A.1 to A.5 of the offences punishable under Sections 498A and 306 I.P.C. A.1 is the husband of the deceased Grasamma. A.2 is mother and A.3 is sister of A.1. A.4 is son of A.5. A.5 is sister of A.2. It is alleged that all the accused used to harass the deceased suspecting illicit intimacy with A.4 and that A.4 and A.5 were spreading rumours in the village in this regard. For the said reasons, the deceased committed suicide on 21.6.2000 by jumping into a well. Plea of A.1 to A.5 is one of total denial and not guilty. 2. During trial in the lower Court, mother of the deceased was examined as P.W.1. P.Ws.2 and 8 are the sisters of the deceased. P.Ws.3 to 5 are neighbours of the deceased. P.W.6 is a villager. P.Ws.3 to 6 and 8 turned hostile to the prosecution. There is only evidence of P.Ws.1 and 2 in support of the prosecution. It is their evidence that the deceased had no illicit intimacy with A.4. Neither parents and relations of the deceased nor the accused believed the allegations that the deceased was having illicit intimacy with A.4. Their evidence is to the effect that there was rumour in the village to the effect that the deceased was having illicit intimacy with A.4. A.1 was a sickly person. He died after filing of this appeal and this appeal stood abated as against A.1. It appears that the deceased committed suicide because of false rumours spread in the village. There is no evidence of any of A.1 to A.3 harassing the deceased or subjecting her to cruelty believing the rumour of A.4 having illicit intimacy with the deceased. Having regard to the above state of evidence, lower Court rightly found the accused not guilty of the charges. There are no grounds in this appeal to reverse the said finding of acquittal recorded by the lower Court. 3. Hence, the appeal is dismissed. _______________________________ SAMUDRALA GOVINDARAJULU, J August 11, 2011 dvs HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE SAMUDRALA GOVINDARAJULU CRIMINAL APPEAL No.2405 of 2004 DATE: 11.08.2011