Balasore: A court in Odisha’s Balasore district has sentenced three members of a family to rigorous imprisonment for life in a dowry death case of 2012.
The Court of the Additional District and Sessions Judge in Soro convicted a man and his parents and awarded the jail term. Those convicted by the court are Santosh Barik of Simulia and his parents. The court convicted the three for the death of Santosh’s wife, Swapna Barik.
As per case records, Santosh had married Swapna, a resident of Soro, in 2010. Soon after the marriage, Santosh and his parents allegedly began subjecting her to physical and mental harassment over demands for dowry.
Swapna died in 2012 and her parents lodged a police complaint, accusing her husband and in-laws of killing her for dowry. Based on the complaint, investigation was conducted and trial held against the accusedin the court.
After a detailed trial, during which 18 witnesses were examined and multiple pieces of evidence were reviewed, Soro Additional Sessions Judge Meenakshi Dash found the accused guilty. The court sentenced Santosh and his parents to imprisonment for life.
