Asking daughter-in-law to wash clothes, utensils not cruelty under Section 498A IPC: Bombay High Court
The Bombay High Court has quashed a criminal case against a woman's in-laws, ruling that domestic chores like washing clothes and utensils do not constitute cruelty under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code. The court noted the lack of specific allegations and the fact that the parties did not live together.
Why it matters
This ruling clarifies the legal threshold for 'cruelty' in Indian matrimonial law, preventing the misuse of anti-dowry and harassment statutes.
The Kolhapur Bench of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday quashed a First Information Report (FIR) against six relatives of a woman’s husband, ruling that asking a daughter-in-law to wash clothes and utensils does not amount to cruelty under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The prosecution cannot proceed on this allegation, the Court held.
The complainant filed the FIR in 2025, naming her husband’s parents, sisters and a brother. She stated that her husband took her to a house in Kalyan-Badlapur, and that she stayed at a sister’s house, where she washed clothes and utensils.
She did not mention the time, date, place or manner of the alleged harassment. She also accused the relatives of instigating her husband to quarrel with her because she could not conceive. She said she had health issues and had to divorce her husband.
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