A software engineer committed suicide by hanging at her brother’s house in Ashok Colony, Kushaiguda on Sunday evening due to alleged harassment by her husband, the police said.
N. Ramya Keerthi, 27, who was working in Cognizant, came to her brother Suman Babu’s house three weeks ago after quarrelling with her husband Meghanath. On Sunday, Babu and his family went out in connection with some work and returned home in the evening only to find the door open. They entered the kitchen and found Keerthi hanging by a bed-sheet.
A suicide note purportedly written by Keerthi, stated that her husband and father-in-law were responsible for her death. She sought forgiveness from her father Eshwar Prasad for taking such a drastic step, Kushaiguda Sub-Inspector K. Laxmana Rao said, quoting the note. Mr. Prasad is a senior government official in New Delhi.
Inquiries by the police revealed that Meghanath, a private employee, married Keerthi 18 months ago. He used to consume liquor and harass her. He beat her up on several occasions on trivial issues, the SI said after collecting details from the family members.
Based on a complaint lodged by Mr. Babu, the police registered a case under Sections 498A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of IPC against Meghanath and his father and handed over the body to family members after an autopsy at the Gandhi hospital. “We are yet to arrest Meghanath and his father,” the SI added.
The headline for this story has been changed - the earlier reference to an IT major is regretted
What is 498a?
Indian Penal Code 498a allows a woman and her family to make a written false complaint of dowry harassment to the police which results in the husband, his parents and relatives being immediately arrested without sufficient investigation and put behind bars without bail. Even if the 498a threat is false, you are presumed guilty until proven innocent.
498a can only be invoked by the wife or her relative. Most 498a cases are mere blackmail attempts by the wife or her close relatives. In most cases, a demand for a large sum of money is offered to the husband in exchange for settlement of the case out of court. There have been countless instances where, without any investigation, the police have arrested elderly parents, unmarried sisters, pregnant sister-in-laws and even 3 year old children. A typical case takes approximately 5-7 years and the conviction rate is only 2%.
There are fundamental problems with 498a in that it is 100% gender biased and singles out men as perpetrators of domestic violence and assumes that only women are victims.
In the United States domestic violence laws are gender neutral and provide protection to the victims, both men and women. If you reside in the United States please call us at (855)-WHY-498A today to set up an appointment with Mrs. Desai to provide you with a plan of action.
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