Berhampur: A local court Friday awarded 10 years of rigorous imprisonment to a man and seven years for his mother after convicting the duo of killing the former’s wife over dowry. Berhampur ADJ-2 judge Deepak Kumar pronounced the verdict after examining the statements of the witnesses in the case.
The convict, Pratap Acharya, was awarded 10-yr RI and a penalty of Rs 10,000. He would undergo an additional one-year jail if he defaults the fine. Similarly, his mother Sasikala Acharya was awarded a 7-yr RI.
According to the case diary, the deceased woman, Sulochana, daughter of Sriharsha Tripathy of Srichandanpur village under Patapur police limits in Ganjam district, was married to Pratap of Nistipur village May 16, 2012.
All dowry demands of Pratap and his family including Rs 51,000 cash and gold ring were met. However, just a few days after the marriage, Pratap and his family demanded more dowry.
When, Sulochana expressed her inability, Pratap along with his mother inflicted mental and physical torture on her. Just 70 days after the marriage, Sulochana was found burnt to death in the kitchen, July 26, 2012.
Failing to get a satisfactory answer, Sulochana’s family lodged a complaint accusing them of killing their daughter. Acting on the complaint, police registered a case and launched a probe.
The chargesheet was filed by the investigating team and statements of 19 witnesses were recorded. Seven years after the case, the court pronounced the verdict Friday.
PNN
