The Supreme Court of India has quashed a criminal case under Section 498A IPC filed by a woman against her former in-laws, including her mother-in-law and two brothers-in-law. The Court found that the woman had intentionally filed the complaint to harm them.
A bench comprising Justices Aniruddha Bose, PV Sanjay Kumar, and SVN Bhatti was hearing appeals against a decision by the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which had earlier refused to dismiss the charges.
The woman’s husband had already received a divorce, although she had filed an appeal challenging that decision, which was still pending in court.
Meanwhile, she accused her in-laws of cruelty and dowry harassment, and a chargesheet was filed under Section 498A IPC and the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961. She also alleged that the living conditions at her in-laws’ house were poor.
She even filed complaints with the Mumbai Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, targeting one brother-in-law who had become a civil judge after her marriage.
The Supreme Court, after reviewing the case, found serious contradictions in her story. It noted that although she left her matrimonial home in 2009, she didn’t file the complaint until 2013, just before her husband filed for divorce. This timing made the court question her real intentions.
On the dowry allegations, the court pointed out that the judicial officer she accused was already married, and it made no sense that he would demand dowry from her.
The Court also dismissed her claim that her mother-in-law once taunted her by saying that, because she wore a maxi dress, she should be stripped and forced to dance in public. The Court said this was not enough to prove cruelty under Section 498A.
The Court ruled that the woman’s actions showed malicious intent, especially since she had earlier admitted to filing a false complaint against one of the in-laws. As a result, the Court quashed the criminal proceedings against all the in-laws.
📌 Case Title:
Abhishek vs State of Madhya Pradesh
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