The Supreme Court has described dowry deaths as a 'severe blot on society' and a grave violation of human dignity, urging courts to deal with such crimes with an iron hand.
The court made the remarks while setting aside a Patna high court order granting bail to a man accused of killing his wife over dowry demands.
The top court held that the high court's decision to release the accused was 'wholly unsustainable' given the seriousness of the allegations and the material on record.
The case relates to the death of a woman within one-and-a-half years of her marriage under suspicious circumstances.
The court also criticised the high court's mechanical approach in granting bail in serious offences like dowry deaths and directed the trial court to complete the proceedings within six months.
