Husband, parents get life term for killing pregnant woman for dowry

Bareilly: The fast-track court of additional district judge, Ravi Kumar Diwakar, has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Bareilly and his parents to life imprisonment for strangling his 25-year-old pregnant wife to death over dowry demands. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 45,000 on each convict.
The incident occurred on Feb 12, 2024, in Hajipur village under the jurisdiction of Aonla police station. Based on a complaint filed by Sumita Yadav's father, Omprakash, an FIR was registered against Pushpendra Kumar, a seed trader, and his parents, Guddi Devi and Ved Pal, under IPC sections 498A (cruelty towards a married woman), 304B (dowry death) and sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act. A chargesheet was filed in court in June 2024, suggesting the accused used to torture Sumita for dowry and eventually killed her when she was two months pregnant.
Additional district govt counsel (ADGC) Santosh Srivastava said, "Omprakash told the court that his daughter married Pushpendra in 2021. He gave gifts worth Rs 5 lakh, but Pushpendra grew greedy and demanded a 200 sq ft residential plot. When Omprakash failed to meet the demand, Pushpendra and his parents killed Sumita."
He added, "Doctors confirmed that she died of strangulation. Dr Rajesh Kumar informed the court that multiple injuries were found on Sumita's body, and she was pregnant at the time of her death."
While delivering the verdict, the judge remarked that an innocent unborn child was also a victim of the crime. "Soft justice in such cases would send the wrong message to society," the court said and sentenced all three accused to life term on Monday.