A Delhi court has acquitted a man and his family of all charges related to “domestic cruelty” and “dowry death” of his wife in less than a year of marriage, pointing to text messages suggesting a long history of suicidal tendencies.The messages referred to in the case were exchanged between the woman and her friend.Additional Sessions Judge Nipun Awasthi acquitted Daman Deep, Harpreet Singh, Amarjeet Kaur and Milan Deep Kaur of all charges under Sections 489A (cruelty by husband or in-laws towards wife), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 304B (dowry death) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).”It is proved that the accused persons cannot be imputed with any conduct of cruelty or harassment towards the deceased, and it is also proved that deceased was troubled by negative feelings and suicidal tendencies.”Hence, this court finds that the prosecution has failed to prove its case and the accused persons are not proved to have subjected the deceased to cruelty or harassment in respect of dowry demand,” the court said, acquitting all four in its judgment dated March 30.According to the prosecution, the deceased, Harinder Kaur, got married to Daman Deep on December 6, 2017. On the evening of February 16, 2018, Harinder hanged herself in her matrimonial home.Since she died within months of the marriage, the executive magistrate conducted inquest proceedings. An FIR was then filed based on the allegations levelled by the deceased’s mother against her husband, brother-in-law, mother-in-law and sister-in-law.The deceased’s mother alleged that her husband and in-laws used to harass her, demanding dowry of Rs 10 lakh and a big vehicle. She alleged they also did not allow her daughter to visit her parental home after marriage.The defence argued that the deceased had suicidal tendencies and had exhibited the same throughout her lifetime. It was argued that her suicide was a result of the tendencies and not induced by the accused’s conduct.The Forensic Science Laboratory retrieved all data from the mobile handset of the deceased and produced it in court as evidence. The court highlighted a few text messages between the deceased and her friend in April 2017 and July 2017 clearly expressing suicidal tendencies even before her marriage.”It is found that the accused persons have successfully proved that the psyche of the victim was such that it was driving her to suicide,” the court said, highlighting messages indicating that the deceased felt unwanted since birth.The court also noted that the deceased’s messages showed she had “no grievance” with her husband and in-laws.”There is not even an allusion to any dowry demand made from her or of any cruelty or harassment committed on her by the accused,” the court said.The court also highlighted all conversations between the deceased and her mother were “general inquiries about each other’s well being” with nothing in the conversations suggesting she was subjected to cruelty by the accused.The deceased’s mother alleged that she had received a phone call from the deceased, informing her that she was being harassed for dowry. But the court found that none of the messages sent that day by the deceased to her mother and her sister were indicative of such a conversation.The court also relied on a conversation between the deceased and her friend two days before her death — indicating the feelings of being an unwanted child of her parents since her childhood.