Madan Gopal vs State of Haryana: A Landmark Decision on Section 304B IPC

In 1978, the Supreme Court delivered a significant judgment in Madan Gopal vs State of Haryana. The case involved a 12-year-old girl who was married to a 35-year-old man and was found dead soon after the marriage. Her husband and his relatives were accused of murder under Section 304B IPC, which deals with dowry death.

The court held that the prosecution had successfully proved the dowry death and the husband and his relatives were guilty. The interesting aspect of this case is that the Supreme Court established the "rebuttable presumption" under Section 113-B of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. This presumption is that if a woman dies under suspicious circumstances within 7 years of marriage, it will be presumed that she was subjected to cruelty or harassment for or in connection with any demand for dowry.