The Delhi High Court (HC) has quashed a case of dowry-harassment filed by a woman against the family members of her husband, who died by suicide barely 40 days after the wedding, news agency PTI reported.
The court observed that the allegations made by the woman were vague and not supported by any cogent evidence, calling it an abuse of the process of law.
“The complaint, when considered as a whole, does not reflect any act of harassment or cruelty,” Justice Neena Bansal Krishna said in her judgment passed on Wednesday.
The court quashed the first information report (FIR) lodged against the man’s parents and sister for the alleged offences of cruelty inflicted on a married woman and criminal breach of trust, and discharged them from the case, PTI reported.
The order came on a plea filed by the woman’s parents-in-law and sister-in-law, seeking quashing of the FIR lodged against them in 2016.
“It is evidently a case of vague allegations and a clear case of abuse of power and it is not in the interest of justice if the present proceedings are permitted to be continued,” the court said.
The HC further noted that the dowry-harassment allegations were unsupported by any solid evidence and merited quashing in the interest of justice.
The couple had married in March 2016 and began living in Pune. The man’s family claimed that soon after the wedding, differences arose, and he became depressed, disturbed, and frustrated.
They alleged that the woman’s family pressured him to live with her under all circumstances and threatened the in-laws with false dowry and domestic violence complaints.
The petitioners said the man, mentally and physically harassed by persistent threats from his wife and her parents, died by suicide on April 13, 2016, barely 40 days after the marriage. They added that the woman left the matrimonial home immediately after the cremation and later removed her belongings from the rented accommodation.
The man’s father had filed a police complaint seeking a fair investigation into his son’s death, PTI reported. Two months later, the woman lodged a complaint with the Crime Against Women cell, accusing her in-laws of mental torture, dowry harassment, abetting suicide, and spoiling her personal life.
Justice Krishna described the case as unfortunate, where the marriage lasted less than 40 days and resulted in litigation after the husband’s suicide.
“It all (record) reflects that the deceased husband had friendship with some girl prior to his marriage and was unhappy and stressed about his marriage with respondent no.2 (complainant woman). Despite best efforts, the husband committed suicide barely within 40 days of marriage. It is a reverse case where the husband has died because of stresses faced by him after marriage and not otherwise,” Justice Krishna said.
(With PTI inputs)