The Court quashed an FIR registered against the relatives of the husband who had been accused of cruelty under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code by the wife.
In the recent case of Sandesh Madhukar Salunkhe & Anr v. State of Maharashtra & Anr, the Bombay High Court has ruled that disparaging remarks made by the husband’s relatives regarding the wife’s culinary abilities do not constitute cruelty under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The court dismissed the first information report (FIR) lodged by the wife against her husband’s family. The wife’s complaint alleged that her husband’s brothers would ridicule and diminish her, contending that she lacked cooking skills and that her parents had not adequately instructed her. However, the division bench, comprising Justices Anuja Prabhudessai and NR Borkar, concluded that such comments did not fulfill the criteria for cruelty as defined in Section 498A.
“In the instant case, the only allegation levelled against these Petitioners is that they had commented that Respondent No.2 does not know how to cook. Such comment does not constitute ‘cruelty’ within the meaning of the Explanation to Section 498-A of the Indian Penal Code,” the Court held.
