Delhi High Court Rejects Plea for Income Tax Investigation Into Wife’s Family Over ₹2 Crore Dowry
The Delhi High Court has rejected a petition filed by a man who asked for an Income Tax Department investigation into his wife and her family’s finances. The man claimed that his wife and her family had given him ₹2 crore as dowry and had spent additional crores on their wedding.
A division bench, led by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, stated that the man’s complaint arose from a matrimonial dispute and that he was unable to show under which law his complaint against the family could be considered by the Income Tax Department.
The petitioner had argued that he married the woman (the respondent) in 2022 in a simple ceremony in Delhi. However, the marriage ended in failure, and the wife filed a police complaint claiming that she and her family had given ₹2 crore as dowry and spent large sums on the wedding.
The petitioner referred to Section 296ST of the Income Tax Act, 1961, which prohibits cash transactions exceeding ₹2,00,000. He contended that based on the wife’s statement, the Income Tax Department should investigate whether her family reported enough income to justify the funds spent on dowry and the wedding. He urged the Department to review their Income Tax Returns (ITRs) and take legal action if they found signs of tax evasion or financial misconduct.
However, the Court observed that the man’s complaint was not based on any law or process under the Income Tax Act. The Court said that there was no violation of the petitioner’s fundamental or statutory rights and dismissed the plea. It also noted that the dispute was a matrimonial issue, involving complex factual questions that the Income Tax Department is not responsible for resolving.
Thus, the Court rejected the petitioner’s request for an investigation and pointed out that the matter should be handled in the appropriate legal forums, not under the Income Tax Act.
Case Title: Ateesh Agarwal v. Union Of India And Ors
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