Chennai: Madras high court has directed the Tirupur police to recover 100 sovereigns of gold jewellery and a Volvo car given as dowry to the husband of Rithanya, who died by suicide due to dowry harassment in June 2025. The court has directed the police to return the recovered items to the father of the deceased.Justice G K Ilanthiraiyan passed the order on Tuesday, on a plea moved by R Annadurai, father of Rithanya, challenging the order of judicial magistrate, Avinashi who refused to order return of the properties.The court, however, refused to appoint a new investigating officer not below the rank of SP to conduct further investigation and to file an additional chargesheet within a stipulated time frame fixed by court.“As per the statement and available material evidence, the DSP, Avinashi division, has rightly filed a final report for the charges under Sections 85 (cruelty to woman by husband) and 108 (abetment of suicide) of BNS, and Sections 3(1) and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act. Therefore, it does not require any re-investigation,” the court said.As to recovery of the dowry properties, the court said, “Admittedly, the police did not seize any jewels or car given as dowry, which were kept in the lock and key in the cupboard of the deceased in the matrimonial home.“The only failure of the investigating officer is that she did not recover any jewels and car given as dowry, as contemplated under Section 6 of the Dowry Prohibition Act. Whatever was received as dowry at the time of marriage, after or before, shall be transferred to the parents of the deceased if there are no children involved, the judge said.“In the case at hand, admittedly, the deceased had no children through the first accused. Therefore, the entire dowry, weighing 100 sovereigns of gold, and a Volvo car ought to have been recovered,” the court added.
