JUDGMENT :

N.V. RAMANA, CJI.

1. The present appeals arise out of the impugned judgment dated 06.11.2008 passed by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh in Criminal Appeal Nos. 3SB of 1998 and 16SB of 1998, whereby the High Court dismissed the appeals preferred by the appellants and upheld the order of conviction and sentence passed by the Trial Court on 11.12.1997.

2. The case of the prosecution is that the deceased and accused-appellant no.1 were married on 01.07.1994. On 31.7.1995, at about 4 or 4.30 P.M, some persons informed the complainant that his daughter was ailing and admitted in the hospital. On this information he, along with his wife and son, reached the hospital and found that the deceased passed away due to burn injuries. The prosecution’s case was that the deceased committed suicide by setting herself ablaze just after one year of her marriage and that soon before her death she was subjected to cruelty and harassment on account of bringing less dowry by both the accused.

3. The appellants were convicted by the Trial Court vide order dated 11.12.1997 for the offences under Sections 304B and 306, IPC and were sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for seve