The Andhra Pradesh High Court has ruled that a mother-in-law’s saying her daughter-in-law to improve her household work does not constitute cruelty under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code. The court rejected claims that the appellant-husband and his mother had subjected the deceased woman to cruelty by asking her to be more perfect in her household tasks. The judge stated that it is common for household members to provide comments or appreciation regarding household work, and such comments from a mother-in-law do not qualify as cruelty unless there is physical or verbal abuse involved.
The court was hearing an appeal filed by a mother and her son who had been convicted of dowry death charges by a lower court. The daughter-in-law had died eight months after her marriage, and the complainant had accused the appellants of subjecting her to cruelty during this period. The appellants were also charged with unfavorably comparing the wedding ceremony and preparations made by the bride’s family to those of the weddings of other sons in their family.
Despite the complainant’s accusation of cruelty leading to dowry death, the judge rejected the argument that the appellants’ actions constituted such an offense. The Court noted that comparing wedding celebrations or elders advising a newly-married woman to improve her household work does not equate to dowry-related cruelty under Section 304-B of the Indian Penal Code. The judge emphasized that a demand for dowry alone cannot be considered cruelty, and only the subsequent mistreatment of the victim for non-compliance with such a demand qualifies as such.
The bench observed in its order that the evidence presented was insufficient to convict the appellants on charges of dowry death. The judge noted that if the deceased woman had indeed suffered mistreatment, she would have had the opportunity to confide in someone close to her.
The bench also observed that there had been no instance of the accused driving the deceased from the house, nor had she ever fled to her mother and brother’s home and complained about mistreatment. This suggested that she had been leading a typical family life, which is characterized by both joys and sorrows. The deceased’s parents did not testify to having inquired about her well-being through any neighbor of her matrimonial home, indicating that they did not have any reason to suspect any wrongdoing or negative treatment. The bench thus concluded that the evidence presented was insufficient to support the conviction, and it quashed the charges.
Source: https://www.barandbench.com/news/mother-in-law-asking-daughter-in-law-perfect-household-work-not-cruelty-section-498a-ipc-andhra-pradesh-high-court
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