Court denies bail to man responsible for wife’s death

NEW DELHI - The Delhi High Court Friday refused to grant bail to a man who was accused of being responsible for his wife’s suicide and said the deceased died because of “great trauma and mental agony”.

Justice Kailash Gambhir refused to grant bail to Sanjeev Solanki, brother-in-law of Shalini, who committed suicide after allegedly facing mental torture at the hands of her husband and his family.

The case dates back to 2002 when Shalini married Sandeep on May 9. In August she filed a complaint to police alleging that she was being harassed for dowry and had been raped by her brother-in-law.

Subsequently Shalini filed a divorce application in the court. During the proceedings of the case in October 2005, Shalini was threatened by her husband and his family who reportedly said they would finish off Shalini’s family soon.

According to the prosecution, Shalini could not face the trauma and was found hanging with her chunni from a ceiling fan.

Additional Public Prosecutor O.P.Saxsena informed the court that Shalini’s diary clearly stated that all persons of her husband’s family were responsible for her taking this extreme step.

On the other hand, Solanki’s lawyer told the court that since Shalini committed suicide at her parents’ home, her husband’s family could not be held responsible for her death.

Judge Gambhir refuted Solanki’s contention and said: “I cannot lose sight of the fact that deceased was under great trauma and mental agony which ultimately forced her to commit suicide.”