Kerala court finds husband guilty in Vismaya dowry death case

The quantum of punishment to Kiran Kumar would be pronounced on Tuesday. Vismaya V Nair (22), an ayurvedic medical student, was found dead in Kumar’s house in Kollam under mysterious circumstances on June 21, 2021.

Vismaya V Nair, an ayurvedic medical student, was found dead in Kollam on June 21, 2021. (File Photo)

An additional sessions court in Kerala’s Kollam district on Monday found a former state government employee guilty in connection with a sensational case pertaining to the dowry death of his wife. The quantum of punishment to Kiran Kumar, who had been an additional vehicle inspector with the state motor vehicle department, would be pronounced on Tuesday.

Vismaya V Nair (22), an ayurvedic medical student, was found dead in Kumar’s house in Kollam under mysterious circumstances on June 21, 2021. Following the incident, Kumar was dismissed from the service. He was charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 304-B (dowry death), in September. The 500-page chargesheet said that Vismaya died by suicide due to dowry harassment.

The court on Monday found Kumar guilty under IPC sections 306 (abetment to suicide) and 498-A (any wilful conduct which is of such a nature as is likely to drive the woman to commit suicide), besides the one on dowry death. It also cancelled his bail and sent him to judicial custody.

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The couple got married in May 2020. Kumar was allegedly unhappy with a new car, costing Rs 11 lakh, gifted to the couple by Vismaya’s father Trivikraman Nair. Apart from the car, Trivikraman had given 1.25 acres of land and 100 sovereigns of gold to Kiran as dowry at the time of marriage. But Kiran had been allegedly harassing his wife, saying he deserved better.

The case shook the state’s conscience, leading to a campaign against dowry and Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan held a day-long fast at Raj Bhavan as part of it. He even instructed the universities in Kerala to ask students to give an undertaking that they would not seek or give dowry. He wanted that if the students are later found violating this and if a court indicts them, the university should cancel their degrees.

Kerala reported 83 dowry deaths from 2016 to March, 2022. Ten such cases reported in 2021.

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