Another high-profile marriage dispute reaches court as a model files a dowry harassment complaint against former India and IPL cricketer Amit Mishra. What really happened inside the marriage, and why has this become the third legal case between the couple?
UTTAR PRADESH: A fresh legal dispute has surfaced involving former India and IPL cricketer Amit Mishra after his model-wife Garima Tiwari filed a complaint in a Kanpur court alleging dowry harassment, assault and abetment to suicide against him and his family members.
According to officials, the complaint was filed before the court of an Additional Civil Judge (Senior Division). The complaint names Amit Mishra along with his mother Beena Mishra, father Shashikant Mishra, brother Amar Mishra, sister-in-law Ritu Mishra and sister Swati Mishra as accused.
Garima Tiwari told reporters that she first met Mishra through Instagram in 2019. The two were in a relationship for nearly three years before they got married on April 26, 2021 at Kanpur Club.
In her complaint, Tiwari alleged that problems in the marriage started soon after the wedding. She claimed that:
“Soon after the wedding, she alleged, her husband Amit Mishra and in-laws began pressuring her family to provide a Honda City car and Rs 10 lakh as dowry.”
According to her version, her family arranged Rs 2.5 lakh at the time of her departure after the wedding. However, she alleged that the demands for more money continued even after that.
Tiwari further claimed that Mishra often assaulted her while under the influence of alcohol. She also alleged that he verbally abused her and sometimes kept her without food for days.
She additionally stated that the cricketer allegedly took away the money she earned through modelling assignments and repeatedly threatened her with divorce.
According to the complaint, the situation affected her mental health and she eventually left her modelling career. Tiwari also alleged that she once attempted suicide by consuming phenyl and had to be hospitalised.
She further claimed that she approached the police several times, including the office of the commissioner of police, but an FIR was not registered. She alleged that the delay happened due to Mishra’s influence, which is why she decided to move the court.
Her lawyer Karim Ahmad Siddiqui stated that the complaint was filed after repeated representations to the police did not lead to any action.
This is not the first legal dispute between the couple. Tiwari had earlier filed a domestic violence case against Mishra on April 21, 2025. Two days later, on April 23, 2025, she also filed a maintenance petition seeking a monthly allowance of Rs 50,000 along with compensation of Rs 1 crore.
Court officials said that the matter is likely to come up for preliminary hearing soon, after which the court will decide the next legal course in the case.
Explanatory Table Of Possible Laws And Sections
| Act / Law | Section | Legal Provision | Explanation in Context of Case |
| Indian Penal Code | Section 498A | Cruelty by husband or relatives of husband | Applies when a married woman alleges physical or mental cruelty or harassment for dowry. The complaint alleges continuous harassment and dowry demands. |
| Indian Penal Code | Section 323 | Voluntarily causing hurt | If physical assault is alleged by the complainant. She claimed that the husband assaulted her while intoxicated. |
| Indian Penal Code | Section 504 | Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace | May apply if verbal abuse and humiliation are alleged repeatedly. |
| Indian Penal Code | Section 506 | Criminal intimidation | Applies when threats such as divorce or harm are allegedly used to intimidate the spouse. |
| Indian Penal Code | Section 306 | Abetment of suicide | Invoked when harassment allegedly pushes a victim to attempt suicide. The complainant alleged a suicide attempt by consuming phenyl. |
| Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 | Section 3 | Penalty for giving or taking dowry | Demanding Rs 10 lakh and a Honda City car may fall within the definition of dowry demand. |
| Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 | Section 4 | Penalty for demanding dowry | Criminalizes direct or indirect dowry demands by the husband or his family. |
| Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 | Sections 18–23 | Protection, residence, maintenance and compensation orders | The wife has already filed a domestic violence complaint seeking protection and relief. |
| Code of Criminal Procedure | Section 125 | Maintenance of wife | Used for claiming monthly maintenance. The complainant has sought Rs 50,000 per month. |
Key Case Facts
| Particular | Details |
| Complainant | Garima Tiwari (Model) |
| Accused | Amit Mishra (former India and IPL cricketer), family members |
| Marriage Date | 26 April 2021 |
| Place of Marriage | Kanpur Club |
| Alleged Dowry Demand | Honda City car and Rs 10 lakh |
| Other Allegations | Assault, mental harassment, financial control, threats of divorce |
| Suicide Attempt Claim | Consumption of phenyl leading to hospitalization |
| Previous Cases | Domestic violence case (21 April 2025), maintenance petition (23 April 2025) |
| Maintenance Sought | Rs 50,000 per month and Rs 1 crore compensation |
| Court | Court of Additional Civil Judge (Senior Division), Kanpur |
Key Takeaways
- Entire families including parents and siblings are routinely named as accused in dowry cases despite no direct evidence of involvement.
- Criminal complaints, domestic violence cases and heavy maintenance claims are often filed simultaneously, creating massive legal pressure on the husband.
- Dowry harassment laws allow immediate criminal prosecution before any factual determination of truth, exposing men to arrest, social stigma and career damage.
- Marriage disputes are increasingly being converted into criminal battles where the man faces multiple legal fronts regardless of actual evidence.
- The absence of strict penalties for false or exaggerated complaints continues to fuel misuse of gender-biased laws, leaving many men fighting for years to prove innocence.
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