Dr. G.M. Natarajan v. State

In Dr. G.M. Natarajan v. State, the Supreme Court considered a case in which a woman, harassed by her husband and in-laws for additional dowry, committed suicide by jumping into a well with her infant daughter within seven years of marriage. The trial court had acquitted the accused for lack of evidence. On revision, the Madras High Court held that once cruelty or harassment related to dowry is established, Section 304-B of the Indian Penal Code and Section 113B of the Evidence Act create a presumption of dowry death, shifting the burden to the accused to rebut it. The Court found that the trial court had wrongly placed the entire burden on the prosecution despite substantial evidence of harassment, set aside the acquittal, and ordered a retrial.

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