Man who married both sisters acquitted in death of one

The couple was convicted under Sections 498 A (domestic violence) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code by a trial court in Solapur 21 years ago.

A chain of incidents following the death of the younger of the two sisters who were married to the same man led to the conviction of a man and his first wife for abetment to suicide and domestic violence, before the Bombay High Court acquitted the duo recently.

The couple was convicted under Sections 498 A (domestic violence) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code by a trial court in Solapur 21 years ago. Renuka, was married off to Dattatraya Vanjare, who was already married to her sister Sushila for 15 years. Nagappa, the women’s father, was reportedly instrumental in getting 18-year-old Renuka married to Dattatraya. In 1994, Renuka died.

Among the 11 witnesses cross-examined in the case, three — including Nagappa — stated that the accused had beaten up the victim, demanded dowry and driven her to consume Endosulfan. The appellants, however, said that Renuka was under distress due to frequent convulsions. Hearing the couple’s appeal against the conviction, Justice Abhay Thipsay of Bombay High Court labelled it as an “unusual” case. He acquitted the man and his first wife, observing the deceased woman had frequent seizures, and it was the father who — though aware of it — married her off.

aamir.khan@expressindia.com

Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan is Head-Legal Project, Indian Express digital and is based in New Delhi. Before joining Indianexpress.com, he worked with Press Trust of India as News Editor, editing legal stories from the Supreme Court and various High Courts. He also worked as an Associate Editor with Bar and Bench, where he led long-form storytelling, ran series on crucial and interesting legal issues, conducted exclusive interviews and wrote deep-dive stories. He has worked for the Indian Express print between 2013 and 2016, when he covered law in Mumbai and Delhi. Aamir holds an LLB degree, PG Diploma in Journalism (New Media) and a Bachelor's in Life Sciences and Chemistry. You can reach him at: aamir.khan@indianexpress.com. ... Read More

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