‘Courts must be vigilant’: Karnataka High Court quashes IPC Section 498A case against mother-in-law

“The allegations against relatives, particularly those residing separately or having limited interaction with the complainant, require careful scrutiny and cautious evaluation, and they must not be roped in at the whims and fancies of the complainant with the intent to cause harassment.”

The observations came after a 58-year-old woman approached the court seeking to quash criminal proceedings initiated by her daughter-in-law in 2026. The woman argued that a false complaint had been filed against her and that only bald, general allegations were made, unsupported by any evidence.

The daughter-in-law lodged a complaint against her husband and the petitioner, alleging she had been abused and ill-treated. She claimed she was forced to do the household work and was subjected to cruelty. She also said her husband suspected her fidelity and abused and harassed her.

The bench perused the complaint and the application filed by the complainant seeking maintenance from the husband. The court noted that the allegations levelled against the petitioner in both the maintenance application and the complaint alleging harassment were altogether different.

Allowing the petition, the court in its order said, “Prima facie, there appears to be matrimonial discord between husband and wife, which resulted in filing the first information roping in the present petitioner as accused No 2. I do not find any justification for proceedings against the petitioner for the offence referred to above.”