NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has expressed concern over the misuse of dowry harassment laws, particularly the tendency to implicate multiple relatives of the husband alongside the main accused. The Court highlighted that many complaints reflect “exaggerated versions” of events and urged lower courts to exercise caution in such cases to shield innocent individuals from undue suffering.
In a recent ruling acquitting a man in a dowry death case, Justices C.T. Ravikumar and Sanjay Kumar noted that the accused had married the deceased’s sister-in-law after the initial dowry harassment allegation was made. They emphasized that he could not be convicted solely because his wife was found guilty.
The issue of misuse has been flagged by the Supreme Court and various high courts in multiple judgments. The justices stated that general and vague allegations should not justify prosecution and called for careful consideration in these matters.
Referring to a previous Supreme Court decision, the bench remarked, “It is a matter of common knowledge that exaggerated accounts are common in many complaints, leading to over-implication.” They stressed the need for courts to identify such instances to prevent unwarranted stigma and consequences for innocent parties.
The Court noted that the accused married into the family in October 2010, and the unfortunate death of the victim occurred just over five months later. They found no specific accusations against the accused, stating that the prosecution failed to provide concrete evidence or testimony linking him to any acts of cruelty under Section 498-A of the IPC.
The ruling concluded that there was no substantial evidence against the accused, asserting that being related to someone found guilty does not suffice to implicate him without clear evidence.
