Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Mar 5: A woman has filed complaint in the women's police station here, accusing her husband of inflicting mental and physical torture on her, besides forcing her to abort her pregnancy, selling her ornaments, and forcing her to bring additional dowry.

The accused in this case happens to be Ashok Thammaiah, who was working as the judge of the fourth JMFC court here before being transferred to Mangaluru a few months back. His wife, Varalaxmi, has complained against him.

As per the complaint, Varalaxmi had married Ashok Thammaiah, a native of Garakahalli in Channarayapatna in Kunigal taluk in 2012. Later, the couple lived in the residence of Ashok's sister-in-law at Banashankari, Bengaluru. It is said that during this stay, Ashok, Siddappa, Shweta, Roopa and Ratnamma had mentally and physically tortured Varalaxmi. Varalaxmi also claims that Ashok had threatened her of killing her by pouring kerosene on her and then igniting fire.

When living in an apartment at Brahmagiri here where the couple lived, Varalaxmi says, her husband attacked her with a stick for not bringing in additional dowry. During this period, the couple's child was also attacked, she said. It is said that Ashok sold off the gold ornaments which he had collected in the form of dowry from her parents, and had been pestering her to bring more money.

When Varalaxmi was ten weeks pregnant during June-July 2018, her husband reportedly forced her to consume certain tablets to ensure that she aborted her pregnancy, the complainant claims.

A case based on this complaint stands registered in the women's police station here.