Delhi High Court. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The Delhi High Court has said the unnatural death of young married women demands prompt and diligent police investigation, while expressing displeasure over a delay of eight months in registration of an FIR by Delhi Police in a dowry death case.Also Read | Twisha Sharma death case: Daughters killed for dowryJustice Swarana Kanta Sharma made the observations while denying anticipatory bail to the husband and in-laws in a dowry death case of a 25-year-old woman within six months of marriage.The judge remarked that the registration of the FIR in this case “took more time than the entire duration of her marriage” and it was an “unfortunate reality” that the deceased’s father was made to “run from pillar to post” before the FIR was registered pursuant to a judicial order.In the case, the husband informed the deceased’s father on July 2, 2025, that his daughter was in a hospital after she fell from stairs. However, upon reaching the hospital, the father suspected foul play.It was subsequently found that the deceased died by suicide after she hung herself in the matrimonial home. While the deceased succumbed to her injuries on July 3, 2025, the FIR was registered on February 13, 2026 pursuant to the directions of a magisterial court.“Yet another case of a young girl having lost her life within six months of the marriage. In this Court’s view, once the deceased’s parents had raised suspicion against her husband and in-laws, in a case involving the death of a young married woman within a few months of marriage, the matter required a prompt and effective response from the investigating agency,” the court observed in the judgement passed on June 1.“This court hopes that, in future, applications seeking directions for registration of FIR, concerning the unnatural death of a young woman within a short period of marriage, particularly where allegations of dowry-related harassment are raised and the police fail to register an FIR, shall be taken up with greater urgency by the Courts and be listed on shorter dates so that the issue of registration of FIR and commencement of investigation is not left unresolved for months together,” it stated. Published - June 04, 2026 04:40 am IST
