Supreme Court asks Jharkhand man accused of dowry harassment to give daughters inheritance share
The Supreme Court on Friday came down heavily on a man accused of meting out cruelty on his wife and two daughters as he failed to provide for them, while hearing his appeal in a case of dowry harassment.
The bench of justices Suryakant and N Kotishwar Singh on Friday observed that it would not pass any orders in the case until some provision was made by the man, Yogeshar Sao, to give his daughters’ a share of their inheritance.
“What kind of man are you if you don’t even care for your daughters? How can we allow such a cruel man to enter our court at all! You worship Goddess Saraswati and Goddess Laxmi at home. And then this,” commented Justice Suryakant while hearing the matter.
The observation came as the court was informed that Yogeshwar Sao, who was convicted in 2015 in the case, had refused to make any provisions to support the two daughters born during the marriage.
Sao’s wife had accused him of dowry harassment, torture and of illegally remarrying another woman after forcing her and the children out of the house in Jharkhand in 2009.
“Let the petitioner submit a proposal by way of an affidavit with regard to protection of the rights of his two daughters born from the first marriage,” noted the court in its order.
The matter has now been posted for hearing on February 14.
The man had been convicted in the Dowry harassment case by the trial court in 2015, and has spent over 11 months in jail. The Jharkhand High Court suspended his sentence in April 2016 while the appeal was pending, and finally upheld his conviction in September 2024.
