Not deciding to marry after being engaged to a girl could prove costly for prospective grooms. A boy who called off the marriage after his pre-wedding “roka” ceremony learnt it the hard way as he was slapped with a cheating case by the girl’s family who demanded repayment of the Rs 1.55 lakh, incurred on the arrangement of the pre-nuptial event.
His woes ended after almost three years on Friday, when the Supreme Court set aside the criminal case pending against the boy, Sujoy Saha and handed over a demand draft of Rs 1.55 lakh to the girl’s family as a full and final settlement towards the case.
The engagement that turned sour took place in 2012. Saha had decided to tie the knot with a Punjabi girl settled with her family in Thane. The roka ceremony was decided to be held at the girl’s place where the girl’s father Chandrashekhar Kohli extended lavish hospitality to the boy’s family.
But just days after the ceremony, the boy’s family informed that Sujoy was no longer interested in proceeding with the marriage. The girl’s family was emotionally broken, but the father decided not to take it lying down.
He approached the local police station of Kasarvadavli in Thane and lodged a case against the boy for breaching trust of his daughter and the entire family. He was charged under Sections 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code. On February 27, 2013 the Sessions Court in Thane issued summons to the boy, following which he panicked and rushed to the apex court to get the summons against him quashed.
The bench of Justices JS Khehar and Arun Mishra accepted his offer to pay the money and settle the case to which the state police had no objection. The girl’s family did not appear in the apex court as the state prosecuted the case on their behalf.