BSP ex-MP, wife awarded jail terms in dowry death case

Convicted former Bahujan Samaj Party MP Narendra Kashyap and his wife Devindri Devi were awarded simple imprisonment of three and a half years each in the dowry death case of their daughter-in-law Himani Kashyap in 2016.

Additional District Judge Shashi Bhushan Pandey pronounced simple imprisonment to the couple along with fine of Rs 10,000 each on them.

The court ordered three-month simple imprisonment in case the penalty was not paid by the two.

Defence lawyer Ram Autar Gupta urged for minimum punishment since the former member of Parliament is a lawyer and claimed his conduct was good. However, the court disagreed and awarded the former Rajya Sabha member simple jail term.

The former MP will now have to move the High Court for bail since he could have got the same from the Sessions court in case the sentencing was for three years.

The defence had also asked for three-year jail for Kashyap's wife on medical grounds but the court rejected the plea.

On January 24, the court had held the former BSP leader Narendra Kashyap, his wife, and their son guilty in the case.

On January 25, the Judge had awarded seven-year imprisonment to Sagar Kashyap, former MP's son and husband of deceased Himani, and fined him Rs 50,000. Narendra Kashyap and his wife were sent to judicial custody.

A case was registered against Kashyap and his family members for killing Himani, 29, after her uncle Om Prakash alleged that she was shot dead for not bringing enough dowry.

The Kashyap family was reportedly demanding an SUV since the solemnisation of the wedding.

Om Prakash named Kashyap, his wife Devendri Devi, son Sagar, younger son Siddharth, and sister-in-laws Sarita and Shobha as accused.

Himani was found dead with a gunshot injury in the bathroom of her home in Sector 23 in Sanjay Nagar here.

Himani was the daughter of Hira Lal Kashyap, a former minister in the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh. She was the mother of a year-old son.

A pistol licensed in her husband's name was found alongside her body. The family rushed her to a hospital where she was declared dead.

--IANS

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