Madras High Court directs Tiruppur SP to monitor investigation into alleged dowry death of newly married woman

The Madras High Court, on Monday (September 8, 2025), directed Tiruppur Superintendent of Police (SP) to monitor the ongoing investigation into the recent death of a newly-wed woman, allegedly due to dowry harassment and sexual abuse, and ensure that all relevant penal laws were invoked against the accused.

Justice N. Sathish Kumar passed the orders while disposing of a petition filed by the victim’s father seeking transfer of the investigation to the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a special investigation team headed by a retired judge.

On being informed that the probe, being conducted by a Deputy Superintenent of Police, was at an advanced stage with the police only awaiting the forensic test reports of certain audio clips submitted by the petitioner, the judge felt it would not be appropriate to order transfer of investigation at present.

However, when advocate B. Mohan, representing the petitioner, complained of the police not having invoked the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961 as well as Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman Act of 1998, the judge directed the Superintendent of Police to monitor the investigation.

He also recorded the submission of Additional Public Prosecutor K.M.D. Muhilan that the investigating officer would certainly invoke relevant provisions of law, after receiving forensic sciences laboratory report and, at the time of filing the charge sheet before the judicial magistrate concerned.

Even if the police fail to invoke certain penal provisions, the trial court could look into the matter while framing charges against the accused, the judge said. He took note that the victim was found dead inside a car on June 28 and hence the police had initially booked a case for suspicious death.

However, subsequently, the First Information Report was altered to Section 85 (husband or relative of husband subjecting a woman to cruelty) and 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the audio clips submitted by the petitioner on August 9 were sent for forensic analysis, the judge said.

Further, when Mr. Mohan accused the police of having leaked to the media the audio clips recorded by the victim in a mobile phone before her death, and the APP stoutly denied the accusation by claiming that the police had no role in it, the judge directed the SP to look into this issue too.

In his affidavit, the petitioner had claimed he had given his daughter in marriage on April 11 by presenting her 300 sovereigns of gold jewellery and a Volvo car costing ₹62 lakh. He said his daughter had taken only 100 sovereigns with her to the matrimonial home and left the rest in his custody.

He claimed her in-laws had forced her to part with the 100 sovereigns of jewellery and also insisted on bringing back the 200 sovereigns though the jewels were meant only for the financial security of the victim. The petitioner alleged her in-laws demanded more dowry after the marriage.

He also accused the victim’s husband of having subjected her to forced unnatural sex leading to a climate of fear. The petitioner’s daughter abandoned her matrimonial home and returned to her parent’s house on June 25; opened up to her mother on June 26 and was found dead on June 28, the petitioner said.

(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)