New Delhi, March 29 -- Dowry deaths are a "severe blot on society" and a grave violation of human dignity, the Supreme Court has emphasised, urging courts across the country to deal with such "greed-driven" crimes with an iron hand. Setting aside a Patna high court order granting bail to a man accused of killing his wife over dowry demands, a bench of justices JB Pardiwala and Vijay Bishnoi said that despite statutory prohibitions, dowry-related violence continues to claim the lives of thousands of women, often through murder or circumstances that drive them to suicide. "Dowry deaths are indeed a profound disgrace and a major social evil representing a severe violation of human rights and dignity.This practice continues to result in the unnatural deaths of thousands of women, often through murder or driven to suicide because of greed-driven demands for money or valuables from the groom's family," noted the court in its order released earlier this week. The court's remarks came while allowing an appeal filed by the deceased woman's mother, who had challenged the grant of bail to the accused husband in a case registered in Bihar. The top court held that the high court's decision to release the accused was "wholly unsustainable" given the seriousness of allegations and the material on record. The case relates to the death of a woman within one-and-a-half years of her marriage under suspicious circumstances. According to the FIR lodged by her mother in September 2024, substantial dowry - including Rs.20 lakh in cash and gold and silver worth Rs.6 lakh - had already been given. The complaint alleged the husband and his family continued to harass the woman for additional dowry. Medical evidence recorded multiple serious injuries. The cause of death was identified as haemorrhage and shock due to head injury. Nixing the high court's order of May 2025, the top court criticised what it described as a mechanical approach in granting bail in serious offences like dowry deaths. Allowing the appeal, the Supreme Court cancelled the bail granted to the accused and directed him to surrender before jail authorities within one week. The bench also directed the trial court to complete the proceedings within six months, signalling the need for expeditious adjudication in such cases....