Three get conditional bail in Pooja Agrawal death case

NAGPUR, OCT 12: Three of the six accused in the Pooja Agrawal death case have been granted a conditional bail by the court of Additional S...

NAGPUR, OCT 12: Three of the six accused in the Pooja Agrawal death case have been granted a conditional bail by the court of Additional Sessions Judge A D Kadlag, here.

In an order passed on Thursday, the court granted bail to Pooja8217;s mother-in-law, Krishnadevi, and sisters-in-law, Sangeeta and Jyoti, against a personal release PR bond of Rs 25,000 each and a surety of equal amount.

The court directed them to report to the Ambazari police in person between 1 pm and 2 pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays for the next 15 days and on Saturdays thereafter, till the filing of the chargesheet. It also restrained the trio from contacting any of the witnesses.

Pooja, a young housewife, in an advanced stage of pregnancy, was found dead under mysterious circumstances at her in-law8217;s residence at 175, Ram Nagar on September 2. Initially, a case of accidental death was registered by the Ambazari police as it was inferred that she may have died of electric shock.

However, two days following the incident, Pooja8217;s father lodged a first information report FIR accusing her husband, Satyanarayan, and five in-laws of dowry-killing and cruelty. The Agrawals run a bicycle-shop in the Sitabuldi market area.

Acting on the complaint, the police held Satyanarayan, his mother Krishnadevi, brothers Shekhar and Puran and their wives, Sangeeta and Jyoti, respectively. All are currently lodged under judicial custody at the central jail.

While Satyanarayan and his brothers did not apply for bail, the remaining three accused sought the relief stating, among other things, that they were women and the FIR did not contain any specific allegation against them but for some general references. That, Sangeeta and Jyoti, have kids to look after.

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Counsel M R Daga, representing the accused, submitted that Pooja was not subjected to any cruelty in the immediate hours preceding her death, which, otherwise, attracts the clause of dowry-death. He said, the prosecution was silent over this aspect and had failed to make out a proper case of dowry-death against the accused.

The counsel argued that like Pooja, both, Sangeeta and Jyoti, were also daughters-in-law of the Agrawal household. He pointed out that Pooja8217;s relatives were present at her funeral and provided no hint of a domestic strife. Finally, there was a two-day delay in the filing of the FIR.

After hearing either sides, the court granted the conditional bail to the three accused. Advocate Rajendra Daga assisted the senior Daga while District Government Pleader P K Sathianathan appeared for the State.

The case is being investigated by inspector Vasant Sayyam, officer in-charge of the Ambazari police, which is yet to file a chargesheet. Satyanarayan and the other two accused are also set to file their bail pleas, soon.