The Supreme Court of India, on Thursday, underscored the fundamental principle of criminal proceedings, stating that their purpose is to bring wrongdoers to justice, not to enable personal vendettas. This clarification came from a bench consisting of Justices JK Maheshwari and Sanjay Karol during a case involving a dispute over ‘streedhan’ — traditional gifts including money and property given to a woman at the time of her marriage.
The case revolved around allegations by Padala Veerabhadra Rao of Telangana, who claimed that the former in-laws of his daughter had failed to return the streedhan given during her marriage in 1999. Rao’s complaint escalated into a criminal breach of trust case, highlighting intricate familial and legal dynamics, especially after his daughter’s marriage ended in divorce in the United States in 2016.
Justice Karol, writing for the bench, reiterated that under Indian law, a woman has singular rights over her streedhan and complete autonomy regarding its management. This ruling came after Rao lodged an FIR in 2021, accusing his former in-laws of withholding jewelry gifted at his daughter’s wedding, despite the couple’s divorce proceedings in the US having concluded all marital issues by 2015.
The bench criticized the misuse of criminal proceedings in this context, noting that the action was initiated by Rao more than two decades after the marriage and five years post-divorce, without any legal authorization from his daughter, who is the rightful owner of the streedhan.
Furthermore, the court found no substantial evidence that the streedhan was ever legally entrusted to the daughter’s former in-laws, leading to the conclusion that the charges under Section 6 of the Dowry Prohibition Act were not applicable. As a result, the proceedings against the daughter’s former in-laws were ordered to be quashed.
