New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday strongly criticised a man for forcing out his estranged wife and minor daughters from the matrimonial home, saying that such a cruel man should not be allowed to enter inside the court.
The SC bench asked, "What is the difference between an animal and a man who does not take care of minor daughters…".
The matter came up before a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh. The bench, which apparently seemed anguished with the conduct of the man, asked, "What kind of a man you are if you don't even care for your minor daughters?" The bench further asked, what wrong have the minor daughters done in coming to this world? An irate bench said, "What is the difference between an animal and a man who does not take care of minor daughters".
The bench said it would not allow the man to enter court unless he paid the maintenance or part with some agricultural land to his daughters and wife. “We cannot allow such a cruel man to enter our court at all….”, said the bench. It added, "Sara din ghar pe kabhi saraswati puja and kabhi laxmi puja. Aur fir yeh sab (you worship Goddess Saraswati and Laxmi all day, and then you do such things)."
The apex court made it clear to the man's counsel to convey to him that the court might think of passing some favourable order if he agrees to part with some agricultural land or fixed deposit or maintenance amount in the name of his daughters. The bench asked the man's counsel to inform the court regarding maintenance he was willing to pay and scheduled the matter for further hearing on February 14.
The Jharkhand-based man was convicted by a trial court for torture and harassment of his estranged wife for dowry. The man was also accused of fraudulently getting her uterus removed and marrying another woman later. In 2015, the trial court convicted him under Section 498A of IPC (subjecting married women to cruelty) and sentenced him to 2.5 years of rigorous imprisonment besides a Rs 5,000 fine. The case was registered in 2009 and he served 11 months in custody.
The Jharkhand High Court in September 2024, reduced the sentence to 1.5 years and enhanced the fine to Rs 1 lakh. In 2003, the couple got married and the estranged wife remained in the matrimonial home for about four months. The estranged wife was reportedly tortured for dowry of Rs 50,000.