BALWANT SINGH Vs. STATE OF PUNJAB

JUDGEMENT

(1.) In these appeals by special leave, Balwant Singh and his mother Nishan Kaur are the appellants who have been sentenced to undergo 7 years' rigorous imprisonment under Section 304-B IPC. The victim Manjit Kaur was married to the appellant Balwant Singh on 6-12-1986. According to the case of the prosecution, on 25-3-1990, Manjit Kaur was brought to the hospital in a precarious condition having suffered serious burn injuries. Soon thereafter she succumbed to her injuries. Mohinder Singh (PW 6) , the father of the deceased on receiving information came to Ludhiana and lodged the first information report on 26-3-1990. After investigation, the appellants herein as well as Gurcharan Singh, brother of Appellant 1 and Gurpreet Kaur, wife of Gurcharan Singh were put up for trial before the Additional Sessions Judge, Ludhiana, in Sessions Case No. 98 of 30-7-1990.

(2.) The trial court while acquitting Gurcharan Singh and Gurpreet Kaur of the charge levelled against them found the appellants herein guilty of the offence punishable under Section 304-B IPC and sentenced them as noticed above. Aggrieved by the judgment and order of the trial court the appellants herein preferred two appeals, namely, Criminal Appeal No. 436-SB of 1991 and Criminal Appeal No. 59-SB of 1992.

(3.) The State of Punjab also filed a criminal appeal against the acquittal of Gurcharan Singh and his wife Gurpreet Kaur. A criminal revision was also filed by Mohinder Singh (PW 6) , the father of the deceased, against the acquittal of Gurcharan Singh and Gurpreet Kaur. The High Court dismissed the appeals preferred by the appellants and also the criminal appeal and the criminal revision preferred by the State and the informant respectively.