In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court of India has quashed a dowry harassment complaint lodged against the relatives of a woman’s husband, highlighting the issue as a vexatious trial. The decision came after the bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Prashant Kumar Mishra noted that the relatives were wrongly implicated, with no substantial allegations against them related to the dowry dispute.
The complaint emerged three years following the dissolution of the woman’s marriage by a divorce decree in May 2012. The apex court pointed out that the accusations were primarily directed at the husband, with only a vague reference to the relatives concerning an incident that allegedly occurred in August 2015.
Justice Mishra remarked, “It is evident that the appellants have been drawn into the case merely due to their familial ties with the husband. There are no specific allegations that justify their involvement in the matter during the period that the couple was together.”
The origins of the case trace back to June 2010 when the couple married and subsequently resided in Kota. The marriage was short-lived, with the wife moving back to her parental home by October of the same year. Despite the husband’s attempts to reconcile, the marriage ended in an ex-parte divorce granted by a family court due to the wife’s non-appearance.
In 2015, the woman sought legal action against her husband’s relatives, claiming they visited her home and demanded dowry, a situation the court found implausible given the existing divorce decree.
“The notion of the relatives attempting reconciliation or engaging in dowry demands three years post-divorce holds no ground. To proceed with the trial under these circumstances would only serve to harass the appellants unjustly,” added Justice Karol.
The Supreme Court’s decision underscores its stance against the misuse of legal provisions meant to protect against dowry harassment by discouraging baseless claims that aim to rope in distant relatives without direct involvement in the core marital issues.
