COIMBATORE: In a trend-setting decision, a Coimbatore court has convicted a man in a dowry case based on evidence furnished in sign language by his hearing-and-speech impaired wife. A sign language expert assisted the court in interpreting the disposition of the victim.Considered to be the first such case in recent times, the judgment has evoked keen interest in legal circles, as this could open up a new avenue in bringing justice to the differently-abled.The case pertains to the alleged harassment of S Deepa of RS Puram by her husband, A Senthil Kumar, for dowry citing her impairment. As Deepa’s parents could not meet the demand due to their poor economic status, Senthil Kumar allegedly locked her up in a room for several months and harassed her severely. “She was not even allowed to interact with the outside world. She was rescued by one of the neighbours and brought to the police station in June 2008. We registered a case after a sign language interpreter explained us about her situation,” said inspector Sathi Anusaya of the AWPS (West). While the testimony of the victim, Deepa, included as prosecution witness-1, was crucial in deciding the case, Judicial Magistrate L S Sathiyamurthy decided to engage a sign language interpreter to record her statements.Tamilselvi, the HM of the Corporation High School for the Deaf and Dumb, where Deepa had completed her high school education, came forward and translated her sign language. Delivering the judgment on Saturday based on the interpretation of Deepa’s sign language, the JM convicted Senthil Kumar under IPC Section 498 (a) and Dowry Prohibition Act and sentenced him to two years’ rigorous imprisonment, besides imposing a fine of `2,000 on him.(With inputs from S Kamalakannan)
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