Supreme Court refuses bail to in-laws

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain an anticipatory bail plea by the mother-in-law and sister-in-law of a woman, who died by suicide in May after raising the issue of extramarital affair of her husband.

A vacation bench of Justices M.R. Shah and Aniruddha Bose noted that the woman died after two months of her marriage. The victim's mother-in-law and sister-in-law had moved the apex court against the Bombay High Court, which declined to entertain their plea seeking anticipatory bail.

As counsel representing the two women contended that there were no allegations against them in connection with victim's harassment, the bench replied there were specific allegations that the mother-in-law and the sister-in-law harassed the woman.

The woman died by suicide after consuming pesticide and her father registered a complaint. Her husband was posted in Jammu.

The bench orally observed that the two women should have protected the newly-married woman, as there were allegations against her husband for having an extramarital affair. Against the backdrop of facts and circumstances involved in the matter, it said no case for anticipatory bail was made out.

The petitioners' counsel contended there was no direct allegation that two women forced her to commit suicide. The bench said the petitioners should surrender within a period one week and then apply for regular bail.

The deceased's father, in the complaint, had alleged that his daughter had told him about the in-laws harassing her and also about her husband's affair.