In a first-of-its-kind order, the Madras High Court Bench here has cancelled anticipatory bail granted to a private sector employee and his parents because he “tortured” his estranged wife by abusing her through e-mails, posting “unwanted” messages with false allegations on the social media and mailing blank papers to her through registered post.
Allowing an application preferred by the victim for cancellation of the advance bail granted to the trio by the Principal Sessions Court here on June 18, Justice V.M. Velumani referred to the abusive as well as threatening mails and social media posts and said: “This clearly reveals the respondents tortured the petitioner after obtaining anticipatory bail.
“In the circumstances, considering these facts and allegations that the respondents are misusing the anticipatory bail granted to them, the bail granted by the learned Principal Sessions Judge is cancelled.” The judge also said that a reading of a letter written by the woman’s husband to her “clearly shows that he had threatened the petitioner after obtaining anticipatory bail.”
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In her petition, the woman, serving in a senior position in a reputed firm in Bangalore, claimed that before marriage, her husband’s parents had demanded 40 sovereigns of gold jewels, a diamond jewellery set, a diamond ring for him and two kilograms of silver utensils as dowry and her father fulfilled all those demands with great difficulty.
Yet, her husband, employed in Hyderabad, did not get transferred to Bangalore as promised, she said and accused him of abusing, assaulting and spitting on her face whenever he visited her. Hence, she was forced to lodge a complaint with the local police under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code and Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.