Chennai: Man gets seven year RI for driving wife to suicide

Chennai: The Mahila Court in Chennai sentenced a 27-year old person to undergo seven  years of rigorous imprisonment on the charge of driving his wife to commit suicide, nine months after their wedding. According to the prosecution, K. Aravindan alias Megaraj, 27, of Mehta Nagar works as a collection agent in a bank. Sumitra who completed B.Com, was serving as an accountant in a construction company. They were in a relationship for over five years. With the blessings of both families, their wedding took place in MMDA Colony on February 13, 2011. During the wedding, Aravindan collected 21 sovereigns of gold jewellery, household articles worth Rs 65,000, Rs 10,000 in cash for a suit, clothes and Rs 50,000 for a motorbike as dowry from Sumitra’s family.

Trouble started after the first Deepavali. Aravinidan harassed his wife, demanding cash from her family. With much difficulty, they gave him Rs 20,000. Not satisfied with the amount, he mounted pressure on his wife and tortured her. He sought Rs 1.25 lakh from Sumitra’s family to buy a plot in Chengalpet.
When she expressed her family’s inability to do so, he attacked her, threw hot rice at her and spat in her face. Dejected at this, she informed her mother on telephone that she would kill herself. On November 1, 2011, she committed suicide by hanging herself in the house.

Based on a complaint from Indirani, Sumitra’s mother, Anna Nagar police registereda case against Aravindan, his parents K. Janardanan and J. Dakshayini, under section 498 A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the IPC. On completion of trial, judge R. Kalaimathi sentenced Aravindan to undergo 7 years of RI and imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 on him. She acquitted K. Janardanan and J. Dakshayini of the charges.