The Supreme Court has urged courts to exercise caution in matrimonial disputes under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code, emphasizing the need to prevent undue accusations against distant relatives of the husband.
A bench of Justices CT Ravikumar and Rajesh Bindal quashed criminal proceedings against a cousin of the husband and his wife, who were implicated in an FIR lodged by the wife’s father. The apex court criticized the Punjab and Haryana High Court for not adequately examining whether the accusations stemmed from exaggeration or over-implication.
The court underscored that distant relatives unconnected to the marital home or the central dispute should not be dragged into legal proceedings based on vague or broad allegations. Referring to prior judgments, including Preeti Gupta v. State of Jharkhand and Geeta Mehrotra v. State of U.P., the bench reiterated the importance of scrutinizing such claims to avoid unnecessary harassment.
Noting the petitioners lived in a different city from the complainant, the court observed that such factors are crucial in determining whether allegations are credible or merely aimed at pressuring the primary accused. The bench labeled the accusations “general and omnibus,” highlighting the lack of substantive evidence and calling the proceedings an abuse of legal process.
The case arose after the husband initiated divorce proceedings, with allegations of dowry harassment and cruelty surfacing against him, his parents, and extended family. The Supreme Court clarified that the mere filing of a final report does not preclude interference when the claims lack merit.
This judgment serves as a reminder to ensure that matrimonial disputes do not devolve into tools for unwarranted litigation, particularly against individuals only tangentially connected to the marital discord.
