Ahmedabad: Man, sisters get 3 yrs in jail for domestic violence 30 years after wife’s complaint

Ahmedabad: An Ahmedabad court sentenced a man and his two sisters to three years' imprisonment in a domestic violence case filed nearly three decades ago. The man's wife, who filed the case in 1996 after alleging harassment and beatings, died in 2025 after a long wait for justice. She had married in 1993, had a son, and obtained a divorce the same year.While awarding punishment, judicial magistrate first class G B Siyag said, "The punishment should reflect the harm done to two generations."
Following frequent harassment and assault, particularly over her salary from a cooperative bank job, the woman left her husband's house in 1996. She filed an FIR under Section 498A, 323, and other Sections of the IPC against her husband and in-laws.Three decades after her complaint and 29 years into the trial, the court said about her testimony, "Considering the complaint and the complainant's testimony, this court believes that the complainant's evidence is entirely credible and does not require any support from other witnesses."Explaining the sentence, the court said, "The victim spent her entire adult life fighting this legal battle. She died without seeing her perpetrator punished, without the satisfaction of justice. If a lenient sentence is given, it would be another betrayal to her memory. To understand the gravity of the crime, the court must look back to 1996. The victim was not just a woman; she was the mother of a 2-year-old child."The court further said, "The accused committed crimes under IPC sections 323 and 498(A) against the complainant at a time when she was physically and emotionally vulnerable. While she was raising her young child, she was deliberately humiliated and harassed. That child, who was 2 years old in 1996, is now an adult who witnessed his mother endure court struggles and trauma for 3 decades. The punishment should reflect the harm done to 2 generations. If the court gives only a nominal sentence or probation, it sets a dangerous precedent that the accused can ‘win' by merely exhausting the victim or prolonging the case until her death."