The Supreme Court recently quashed a criminal case under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) filed by a woman against her former in-laws, accusing them of cruelty and harassment. The court found that the allegations were inconsistent and driven by the woman’s intent to harm her ex-husband’s family.
A bench consisting of Justices Aniruddha Bose, PV Sanjay Kumar, and SVN Bhatti was hearing appeals challenging a Madhya Pradesh High Court ruling, which had refused to dismiss the case against the woman’s former brothers-in-law and mother-in-law.
The woman had earlier filed complaints of cruelty and dowry harassment, leading to charges against her in-laws under Section 498A of the IPC and the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961. However, the Supreme Court noted that the woman had left her matrimonial home in 2009 but did not file the complaint against her in-laws until 2013, right before her husband initiated divorce proceedings.
The court observed discrepancies in the woman’s statements, finding her motives questionable. It highlighted that one of the accused brothers-in-law was a judicial officer, and the allegations against him, such as demanding dowry, were not credible given his position and the fact that he was married to someone else. Furthermore, the court pointed out that the woman had previously admitted to making a false complaint against this brother-in-law.
The court also dismissed the woman’s claims that her mother-in-law had taunted her, deeming such allegations insufficient to prove cruelty under Section 498A. The bench concluded that the accusations were part of a malicious attempt to harm the in-laws.
In the end, the Supreme Court allowed the appeals, quashing the criminal complaint and proceedings against the in-laws.
Case Title: Abhishek vs State of Madhya Pradesh
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