Subjecting Women To Tantrik Rituals For Treating Infertility Is Mindset Of Stone Age; A Curse To Society: Allahabad High Court
Allegedly, the accused had subjected his sister-in-law to repeated burn injuries by red-hot tongs to cure her alleged infertility on the advice of a Tantrik.
The Allahabad High Court recently denied bail to a murder accused who, along with other family members, allegedly subjected his sister-in-law to gruesome rituals as advised by a Tantrik for treating her alleged infertility.
The bench of Justice Saurabh Shyam Shamshery said, "This is a case where the facts are not only shocking but show the mindset of male persons that when a woman has not conceived for many years, the only fault is of the women and not of men and for that women are subject to occultist (Tantrik) rituals".
"It is a curse for the society that such rituals are still prevailing in the 21st Century," Justice Shamshery observed.
The accused namely Durvesh had filed a bail application before the high court in the case registered in the year 2021 under Sections 498A, 506, 504, 302, 508, 120B and 34 of the Indian Penal Code in Shahjahanpur district.
It had been alleged that the accused, along with other family members, including the husband of the deceased, had hatched a conspiracy and in furtherance of their common intention, they burnt the deceased repeatedly with red hot Pinch (Chimta) which eventually caused her death.
According to the post-mortem report, as many as 17 ante-mortem injuries including many burn injuries were found on the body of the deceased and the doctors opined that immediate cause of woman's death was coma due to ante-mortem head injury, a lacerated wound.
The counsel for the accused tried to make out a case for bail by placing the statement of witnesses recorded during investigation.
However, court found that there were independent witness account as well as eye-witness account that completely corroborated the prosecution case.
"The mindset of applicant and co-accused who still believe in occultism to be a cure of female infertility even before ascertaining that it might be a case of male infertility, is of persons living in stone age," the court held.
Therefore, opining that there was 'absolutely' no case for bail at the present stage in the matter, court rejected the bail plea.
Case Title: Durvesh v. State of UP