Wedding costs not dowry: Karnataka high court bins harassment case against in-laws

BENGALURU: The Karnataka high court has quashed criminal proceedings against the in-laws of a Bengaluru woman in a dowry harassment case, observing that they were unnecessarily implicated without specific allegations.

Justice M Nagaprasanna noted that both the complaint and the chargesheet only referred to expenses related to the wedding, which cannot be treated as dowry demands without clear evidence. "Even if it is taken as correct, it cannot… become a dowry demand later to implicate every member of the husband's family," the court said, adding that the in-laws were dragged into the case "without any rhyme or reason."

The marriage between the complainant and her US-employed husband was solemnised in April 2018. Within six months, the relationship deteriorated, prompting the woman to file a complaint at the Basaveshwaranagar police station, alleging cruelty and dowry harassment against her husband, parents-in-law, and sister-in-law.

Police filed a chargesheet against all four accused. While the husband remained an accused in the case, the three other family members approached the high court seeking quashing of the proceedings, contending that there were no specific allegations against them.

Opposing the plea, the complainant argued that her in-laws had instigated her husband and were complicit in the alleged harassment. She claimed that during pre-wedding discussions, the family had demanded Rs 25 lakh, 300 grams of gold, and 3kg silver, along with arranging rented accommodation for the groom. She also stated that the engagement was held at a luxury hotel in Bengaluru and the wedding in Mysuru, as per their demands.

However, the court found that the couple had lived together for only 19 days, after which the complainant stayed with her in-laws for a brief period. Justice Nagaprasanna observed that the allegations largely reflected routine domestic discord and minor disagreements typical of a joint family, which had been elevated to criminal accusations.

Even the purported dowry demands, the court noted, related primarily to pre-marriage discussions concerning wedding expenses, rather than concrete demands constituting cruelty.

The court reiterated that there is a growing tendency to implicate all relatives of the husband in matrimonial disputes without sufficient basis. The court emphasised that criminal law should not be used as a tool to entangle entire families based on vague and sweeping allegations.