Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has granted pre-arrest bail to a pregnant woman accused of abetting her husband’s suicide.
The court said, it is the duty of the court to ensure the woman and the baby are protected.
A bench headed by Justice Milind Jadhav in its May 30 order, a copy of which was made available on Wednesday, noted that the offense registered against the woman is serious.
“But, since the applicant is a pregnant woman, it is the duty of the court to ensure that she and the baby are protected,” the high court said.
The woman is six months pregnant. She approached the high court, apprehending arrest in the FIR registered against her at the Yawat police station in Pune under Indian Penal Code Section 306 (abetment of suicide) in April this year, following a complaint lodged by her father-in-law.
The complaint was lodged after her husband Rahul allegedly committed suicide in April. The Father of the deceased claimed her daughter-in-law had betrayed his son, and that a month before the incident, she had fought with his son and left for her parents’ house.
However, the arrested woman in her plea refuted the allegations and claimed her father-in-law had been demanding dowry from her due to which her husband was under stress.
The woman further said her relationship with her husband was cordial and that at the time of the alleged incident, she was three months pregnant.
The court in its order noted that the offense registered was serious and attracts a maximum punishment of 10 years in jail if found guilty.
“However, looking at the fact that the applicant is 25 weeks pregnant and carrying a fetus, it is equally the duty of the court to ensure that the applicant and the fetus are protected at this stage and the applicant is not kept under any duress or stress,” Justice Jadhav said in the order.
At this stage, the applicant may have to visit the hospital regularly and may also require care and rest after delivery, the high court said. The court, while granting anticipatory bail to the woman on a personal bond of ₹ 25,000, also directed her to appear before the police station concerned for recording her statement.
We hope that this article helped you In some way or another! For more such information, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Telegram, or simply subscribe to our newsletter.
DOWNLOAD OUR FREE LEGAL MAGAZINE – LAW MANTHAN 1ST EDITION
