The Madras High Court quashed charges against a 21-year-old man, ruling that hugging and kissing between young lovers is natural and cannot be considered an offence under Section 354-A IPC.
The Orissa High Court ruled that a wife’s silence about her missing husband and living with another man cannot be treated as criminal conspiracy under Section 120-B IPC. The Court acquitted her but upheld the conviction of another accused.
The Calcutta High Court ruled that the offence of bigamy under Section 494 IPC applies only to the husband who marries again during the lifetime of his first wife, and not to his second wife.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court held that a wife cannot be denied maintenance merely for being educated or qualified unless it is proven she left her job only to seek support. The Court upheld the family court’s decision granting ₹15,000 monthly maintenance.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled that a wife calling her husband ‘Hijda’ amounts to mental cruelty. Dismissing the wife’s appeal, the court upheld the divorce, noting the couple had lived apart for six years and the marriage was beyond repair.
The Supreme Court has ruled that divorce under the Hindu Marriage Act can be granted if a conjugal rights order is not followed for one year. Granting divorce after 16 years of separation, the court directed the husband to pay ₹30 lakh as one-time alimony.
The Allahabad High Court has held that interim maintenance under Section 125 CrPC cannot be granted without deciding on adultery allegations. The court stayed a ₹7,000 interim maintenance order, stating that such relief can only be awarded after recording a finding on the issue.
The Allahabad High Court has urged the government to create a law for compensating innocent persons wrongfully prosecuted. Acquitting a man jailed for 13 years in a false murder case, the court said that trial judges sometimes convict innocents to protect their careers, violating Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.
A Delhi court has acquitted a man accused of rape after WhatsApp chats between him and the woman contradicted her claims. The court found the relationship consensual, noted the delay in filing the FIR, and ruled that the electronic evidence disproved allegations of forcible sexual intercourse.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has ruled that Section 125 CrPC is not meant to create idle dependents. Reducing a wife’s maintenance from ₹25,000 to ₹20,000, the court stressed that educated and capable spouses cannot rely fully on the other for support. A separate ₹15,000 monthly allowance for the couple’s daughter was upheld.
