IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH

210 Reserved on: 09.12.2025 Pronounced on: 16.12.2025 Uploaded on: 16.12.2025 REKHA DEVI PETITIONER VERSUS STATE OF HARYANA RESPONDENT CORAM: HON'BLE MS. JUSTICE SHALINI SINGH NAGPAL Argued by: Mr. Deepanshu Matya, Advocate for the petitioner.

Mr. Vikas Bhardwaj, AAG Haryana.

Mr. Aman Redhu, Advocate for the complainant.

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Shalini Singh Nagpal, J.

1. Petitioner seeks anticipatory bail in FIR No.697 dated 22.10.2025 under Section 80 read with Section 3(5) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (B.N.S.), 2023, Police Station Sector 10-A, Gurugram. This is the first petition for anticipatory bail.

2. Complainant Surender, brother of deceased Sharmila alleged that he performed marriage of his sister-Sharmila with Rohit s/o Rajender Kumar on 16.02.2021. Though dowry beyond their means was given, immediately after marriage, demand of car was raised. Her sister-in- law-Renu, father-in-law-Rajender, mother-in-law-Rekha Devi, brother-in- law-Arun and husband-Rohit tortured Sharmila mentally and physically for not bringing gold chain, kade etc. During this time, on 29.10.2022 his sister was blessed with a male child. All of them again started demanding car on Kua Pujan besides gold ornaments like chain, bangles, rings etc. They also raised demands for cash for purchasing flat and dowry articles on every ₹

festival. His sister worked as a staff nurse in Paras Hospital earning 55,000/- per month. However, her entire salary was taken away and she was not even given money for her expenses. He and his father provided her money for her expenses. Many a times, they made efforts to prevail over the in-laws with the help of respectables of the village, but to no avail. They continued to torture his sister mentally and physically and to raise demands. On 20.10.2025, at late ₹

night his sister called her father and asked him to bring 5,00,000/- failing which she would be killed. His father reached on 21.10.2025 morning with ₹

2,00,000/-. Since the money was less, they again tortured his sister mentally and physically. Rohit started thrashing his sister in front of his father, who was made captive and made to sign a blank paper. The mental and physical torture forced his sister to commit suicide. The father-in-law-Rajender, mother-in-law-Rekha Devi, sister-in-law-Renu, brother-in-law-Arun were actively involved in the conspiracy and were responsible for death of his sister-Sharmila.

3. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the marriage of petitioner’s son was solemnized with the deceased on 16.02.2021 and there was no complaint of any kind during 4^1/2 years of marriage. On the day of occurrence i.e. 21.10.2025, the father and cousin brother of the deceased visited the matrimonial home and while they were having a word with deceased in private, she walked out of discussion on the pretext of consoling her son and after 15 minutes, the guard of the building informed husband of the deceased about the unfortunate incident. The same day, father of the complainant got DDR registered in the Police Station, Sector 10-A, Gurugram that no one was responsible for the unfortunate and no action was warranted. The next day, FIR was got registered. He further submits that even in the FIR, there was no specific allegations against the petitioner, her husband or other family members and the allegations of demand of dowry were vague, general and unspecific. The daughter of the petitioner and son-in-law were let off by the police during investigation. Referring to the photographs of the marriage on record, it was submitted that the marriage was simple, dowryless and deceased was happily residing in the matrimonial home. Petitioner’s husband had been regularly depositing money in the account of deceased and there was no demand of dowry. The case was false and petitioner-Rekha Devi deserved to be enlarged on anticipatory bail.

4. Status report by way of affidavit of Mr. Abhilaksh Joshi, HPS, Assistant Commissioner of Police, W