The Gujarat High Court recently criticized the increasing trend of women using dowry allegations and domestic violence charges as pressure tactics against their husbands and in-laws. The court observed that in many cases, women combine accusations under Sections 498A and 323 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) with provisions from the Dowry Prohibition Act to intensify the charges, making the offense appear more serious.
Justice D.A. Joshi made these remarks while quashing a 2019 FIR filed by a woman against her husband and in-laws. In the FIR, the woman had accused her husband and his family of cruelty under Section 498A, along with assault, abuse, and criminal intimidation. She also included charges under the Dowry Prohibition Act and later filed a complaint under the Domestic Violence Act.
The accused family members approached the Gujarat High Court to have the FIR quashed, claiming that the allegations were false. The court found that the woman, who had married in January 2018 and left her matrimonial home in June 2019, had filed vague accusations without specific instances of mental or physical cruelty.
Justice Joshi noted that this case seemed like a common domestic dispute between the couple, where the wife had implicated all her in-laws as accused. The court emphasized that both the Supreme Court and the High Courts have observed an increasing tendency to exaggerate domestic violence and dowry claims, often implicating every relative of the husband.
The High Court further commented that individuals of higher status within families are often easy targets in such cases, becoming vulnerable to blackmail and manipulation.
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