VIDHYA DEVI vs STATE OF HARYANA — Crl.A. No. 846/1997

Case Summary: Vidhya Devi v. State of Haryana (Crl.A. 846/1997) Decision: The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the conviction of Vidhya Devi and others under Section 304-B IPC (dowry death), affirming seven-year imprisonment sentences. The Court found sufficient evidence that the appellants harassed the victim Satyawati for additional dowry, culminating in her being set ablaze in November 1993, resulting in her death from severe burns four days later. Key Reasoning: The Court rejected challenges to the dying declaration and eyewitness testimony, finding the medical officer's presence during the victim's statement added credibility. All five statutory requirements for Section 304-B were satisfied: death by burns within seven years of marriage, cruelty/harassment soon before death, connection to dowry demands, and proximate temporal link between harassment and death. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.