‘Bitter half’: HC frees man who ‘forced’ wife to ingest insect killer

The Delhi High Court has observed that the institution of marriage is quite paradoxical and if the issues between spouses are not resolved quickly, the “better half becomes a bitter half”.

Justice Vimal Kumar Yadav made the observations while allowing a man’s appeal against a trial court’s judgment sentencing him to three years of imprisonment for trying to kill his wife by allegedly forcing her to ingest Baygon spray, a well-known insect killer.

The court, in its August 24 verdict, acquitted Nafe Singh in the case, saying the prosecution’s case lacked cogent evidence about the intention and knowledge as contemplated in Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code. It is highly unsafe to act upon the kind of shaky evidence brought on record, the court said while granting the benefit of doubt to the man.

Mr. Singh and the woman got married in 2000 but relations soured within a year. According to the prosecution, during a matrimonial dispute in 2001, the husband first allegedly tried to force his wife to ingest insecticide from a tumbler, and when that failed, he poured it directly down her throat from the container.

An FIR was registered against the man and his mother. While his mother was acquitted by the trial court, Mr. Singh was convicted for the offence of attempt to murder.

The man denied the allegations levelled against him and contended that there was some matrimonial issue due to his wife’s desire to live with him in a separate house, leaving aside his widowed mother.

The court said one of the most beautiful relationships of humans, that of a husband and wife, becomes one of the most terrible when things go wrong in a matrimonial alliance.

“The institution of marriage is quite paradoxical and a world of extremities. The best, in no time, becomes worst if not handled carefully.

The better half becomes the bitter half if issues are not taken care of and resolved as soon as possible,” the court said.

The court said relationships can go in a totally different, undesirable and unexpected direction if not handled carefully and in time. “The institution of marriage derives its strength from faith, companionship and the trust which the parties repose in each other wherein both sides feel assured and protective,” it said.

‘Conflict zone’

“The troubles in this bond between the spouses not only affect the institution of marriage but the family as well and in turn society too. The relationship founded upon faith, trust and confidence gets transformed into a conflict zone where often, physical violence also creeps in,” the court said. It added that there are recent examples where the spouses have resorted to extreme levels of violence against each other that were incomprehensible some decades ago.