State vs Naurang ram Advocate - Poonam Chand Maru — 328/2015

Case Summary: State v. Naurang Ram (Session Case 328/2015) Court Decision (Date: 19-03-2026): The defendants Naurang Ram (husband) and Mohni Devi (mother-in-law) were acquitted of all charges under IPC Sections 498-A (cruelty related to dowry), 304-B (dowry death), and Section 34 (common intention). Key Facts: The deceased Gomti Devi died in a fire at her in-laws' residence in Bhoja village on September 4, 2015. The prosecution alleged the defendants tortured and harassed her over dowry demands, leading her to set herself on fire in desperation after seven years of marriage. Court's Reasoning: The court found the prosecution failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt. Critical gaps in evidence included: (1) no witness saw the actual fire starting; (2) the deceased's father could not pinpoint when harassment occurred or provide specific dates; (3) no medical evidence of prior abuse; (4) prosecution witnesses were biased family members; (5) the hut lacked electricity/gas connections, suggesting accidental fire from cooking oil lamps was plausible; (6) no evidence of cruelty "soon before death" as required by law. The court noted that the presumption under Section 113-B of the Evidence Act requires proof of harassment immediately preceding death, which was absent. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.