The Indian Supreme Court has suspended the 10-year sentence awarded to Kiran Kumar, who was convicted for the dowry-related death of his wife Vismaya and domestic cruelty. On Wednesday, a bench of Justices MM Sundresh and K Vinod Chandran granted the interim relief.
The bench said, "The interim order is passed in a special leave petition filed by Kiran Kumar against the refusal of the Kerala High Court to suspend the sentence."
Vismaya, a 22-year-old Ayurveda student, died by suicide in 2021 - less than a year after her marriage. Her death sparked widespread outrage and renewed focus on the issue of dowry-related abuse in India. Kiran Kumar was working as an Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspector at the time of the incident.
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The Kollam Additional District and Sessions Court had convicted Kumar under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including:
- Section 498A - Cruelty by husband for dowry
- Section 306 - Abetment of suicide
- Section 304B - Dowry death
He was sentenced to ten years in jail and fined ₹12.5 lakh.
The trial court said, "Before her death, Vismaya had shared messages and photographs detailing physical assaults and mental harassment with a classmate and her sister-in-law."
Witnesses during the trial also confirmed repeated instances of domestic abuse. Evidence revealed that Kiran Kumar was unhappy with the car given in dowry, due to which Vismaya was constantly harassed.
Kiran Kumar has appealed against the conviction and the case is currently pending in the Kerala High Court. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court interim order allowed them to be released on interim bail until further proceedings.
Advocate-on-Record Deepak Prakash appeared for the petitioner.
Case : Kiran Kumar v State of Kerala | SLP (Crl) 6729/2025
