The Bombay High Court quashed a criminal case filed by a woman against her husband and his family, saying the complaint seemed exaggerated, vague, and filed with evil intent. The Court found that the woman hid her own job and gave a twisted version of events, and the police didn’t even bother to check the facts properly.
Brief Facts of the Case
- Ajay Khare married Dr. Sandhya in January 2024.
- Within two months, she filed a complaint under Section 498-A IPC (cruelty by husband/relatives).
- She accused her husband, his parents, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and cousin of mental and physical abuse, dowry demand of ₹20 lakh, and threats.
- She claimed all of this happened during a 40-day stay in the marital home.
Legal Provisions Involved
- Section 498-A IPC – Cruelty by husband or his relatives
- Section 323 IPC – Causing hurt
- Section 504 IPC – Insult with intent to provoke
- Section 506 IPC – Criminal intimidation
- Section 34 IPC – Common intention
- Section 482 CrPC – High Court’s power to quash false proceedings
Arguments of Both Sides
Husband & Family (Applicants):
- The woman made false allegations just to harass them.
- She is a working professional but lied that she was a housewife.
- She only stayed with her husband for about 40 days, including a honeymoon.
- Family members she accused didn’t even live in the same house.
- Police didn’t properly investigate—statements were copy-pasted, no neighbours were questioned.
Wife (Respondent):
- Claimed she was mentally and physically harassed soon after marriage.
- Said there was a dowry demand and that the family treated her cruelly.
- Argued that even short periods of cruelty matter under the law.
Court’s Observations
- The wife never disclosed that she had a high-ranking job in the private sector.
- Her version of events lacked clarity—she didn’t specify when and where things happened.
- Documents showed the couple went on a honeymoon, which she didn’t mention.
- The claim that all family members turned abusive in just 2 days was unbelievable.
- The police failed to check facts at locations where the alleged incidents happened.
- The complaint seemed like a made-up story, aimed at settling personal scores.
- The investigation was sloppy and done with bias—only her family’s word was taken.
Conclusion of the Judgment
The Court said this case showed clear misuse of Section 498-A. The complaint lacked credibility, and the investigation was careless. So, the High Court used its special powers to cancel the case and clear all six accused family members of the charges.
Criticism (A Ground-Level Perspective on Legal Misuse)
This case shows how serious laws meant to protect women can be misused in personal disputes. A professionally qualified woman projected herself as helpless and made vague, dramatic accusations without proof. Family members who didn’t even stay with the couple were pulled into the case.
Police didn’t do their job—no site visits, no independent witnesses, just a copy-paste charge sheet. Such lazy and biased investigations help false cases move forward and end up harming real victims, too.
Using the law to settle personal scores is not just wrong—it destroys trust in justice. There must be checks to stop such misuse and protect innocent families from going through mental and legal trauma for years.
Read Complete Judgement Here