The Telangana High Court recently ruled that making false allegations against a husband’s relatives in marital disputes, based on general or vague claims, could lead to misuse of the legal process if not properly controlled.
In this case, the wife accused her husband of physically and mentally harassing her for more dowry. She also alleged that her brother-in-law molested her, leading to charges under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The brother-in-law, along with the sister-in-law and mother-in-law, sought to dismiss the criminal charges against them by moving to the High Court.
The counsel representing the wife argued that there was enough evidence to support the charges and requested the trial court to continue with the case. They believed the petitions lacked merit and should be dismissed.
However, the High Court found discrepancies in the allegations. The court noted that if the allegations against the brother-in-law were true, the wife, being a software engineer, would not have remained silent for such a long period. The court pointed out that the accusations did not meet the basic requirements to prove an offense under Section 354 IPC and seemed to be made with a hidden motive.
The High Court emphasized that involving the husband’s relatives without specific evidence of their involvement in the alleged offenses could lead to an unjust trial. The court highlighted that there was no substantial evidence in the complaint, FIR, charge sheet, or witness statements to proceed against the relatives.
Justice A. Santhosh Reddy, who led the bench, stated that the allegations were not supported by adequate material evidence. As a result, the High Court decided to quash the criminal proceedings against the husband’s relatives to prevent unnecessary legal trials.
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