Lawyer acquitted of dowry charge but sent to jail for 2nd marriage sans divorce

Even as it quashed the charges framed against an Ariyalur-based advocate under Dowry Prohibition Act, the Madras High Court confirmed his crime of illegally entering into wedlock for the second time and modified the principal sessions court’s order to reduce his jail term to two years from five.

Justice PN Manjula issued the orders after partly allowing an appeal petition filed by K Muruganantham and seven family members who were arraigned in the case. The petitioners had sought a direction to quash the verdict given by the principal sessions court, Namakkal, dated March 28, 2012, awarding him five-year jail term and Rs 10 lakh as penalty.

Recording the submissions, the judge held that Muruganantham was found not guilty for the offenses under Section 4 of Dowry Prohibition Act and Section 3 (1) (x) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and 506 (II) IPC and acquitted from the charges.

However, the court held that the accused was found guilty under Sections 494, 498 (A), and 354 of IPC for marrying another woman without legally separating from his first wife. Muruganantham married Dhamayandhi, a resident of Namakkal, in 2001. After she gave birth to a boy in 2002, he did not take her and their son to his native, Ariyalur. When Dhamayandhi came to Ariyalur to visit her husband’s home, she was allegedly harassed by Muruganantham’s family.

Following this, she lodged a police complaint alleging that Muruganantham demanded Rs 1 lakh as dowry and married another woman without getting a divorce. “Muruganantham is convicted and sentenced to undergo simple imprisonment for two years for the offense with a fine of Rs 10 lakh. That has to be treated as compensation payable to his first wife and his son,” the judge held while acquitting other accused from the case.