Bombay High Court Quashes Section 498A Case Filed by Judge Against Husband and In-Laws
In a recent ruling, the Bombay High Court quashed a Section 498A IPC case filed by a judicial officer against her husband and his family. The case, which involved allegations of cruelty and obstruction of public duties, was dismissed due to insufficient evidence.
A division bench consisting of Justices AS Chandurkar and Jitendra Jain observed that the FIR appeared to be lodged as a counterblast to ongoing matrimonial disputes between the couple. The couple had met through a matrimonial site and married in February 2018.
The wife, who is a judicial officer in Maharashtra, alleged that after marriage, her husband refused to have a conjugal relationship, leading to several marital conflicts. She further claimed that while a divorce petition was pending, her husband and his brother entered her chambers on June 7, 2023, pressuring her to sign for a mutual divorce. She also accused her in-laws of making similar demands, which, according to her, disrupted her ability to carry out her duties as a judge.
On July 9, 2023, she lodged a police complaint, leading to an FIR against her husband and in-laws under various sections, including 498A (cruelty) and 506 (criminal intimidation). The alleged period of offense spanned from October 1, 2018, to June 7, 2023.
In response, the husband and in-laws petitioned the High Court to quash the FIR. Upon review, the Court found no evidence that the husband’s actions prevented the wife from performing her judicial duties. The Court noted that the wife had continued her official work on the day of the incident, and her decision to leave her chambers was voluntary.
Furthermore, the Court ruled that the disputes between the wife and her in-laws did not meet the criteria for Section 498A, which pertains to cruelty within a marriage. The Court found no indication that the husband or in-laws had used force or threats to obstruct the wife’s public functions as a judge.
Based on these findings, the Bombay High Court quashed the FIR and dismissed the charges against the husband and his family.
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