'Wife tormentor residing abroad not exempt from trial'

HYDERABAD: Justice Samudralla Govindarajulu of the AP High Court on Tuesday ruled that a person who harasses his wife for dowry and commits the offence of 498A of the IPC is not exempt from being tried. He made it clear that the prosecution must follow the procedure laid down in such cases under the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and obtain prior permission of the central government.
Dealing with the complaint of an estranged wife against her husband (residing in New Jersey), parents-in-law, sisters-in-law and their respective husbands, the judge said that the case did not suffer the infirmities so as to be quashed.
Dismissing the petition of the accused, the judge said that even while taking cognizance of the offence, such prior permission is not required. "The criminal court is free to plan out its trial by splitting the case and proceeding against the other accused without having to wait for the permission of the husband for the offences alleged to have been committed outside the country", he said.