Bombay High Court Affirms: Filing False Reports Against Husband and In-laws Constitutes Cruelty

In a recent pronouncement, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court unequivocally declared that filing false police reports against one’s spouse and their family members amounts to cruelty in a marital relationship. Justice YG Khobragade elucidated that initiating legal proceedings under acts like the Domestic Violence Act or for the restoration of conjugal rights does not inherently signify cruelty.

False Reports: A Form of Cruelty

However, the Court underscored that lodging false reports against one’s husband and their relatives is indeed a form of cruel behavior. It emphasized that while legal actions under statutes like the DV Act or for conjugal rights might not inherently be cruel, the submission of baseless reports to police authorities against the petitioner, their father, brother, and brother-in-law, as well as initiating civil proceedings under false pretenses, falls within the purview of cruelty.

Divorce Decree Upheld: False Accusations Lead to Emotional Distress

The Court’s affirmation came amidst an appeal lodged by a woman contesting a divorce decree granted to her husband by a district judge in Beed, Maharashtra. The decree, founded on allegations of cruelty and desertion by the husband, cited numerous legal actions initiated by the wife, including false accusations of molestation and threats to life against the husband’s father and brother. Despite their subsequent acquittal, the accused family members endured significant emotional trauma and societal stigma.

Unconvincing Rebuttal: High Court Upholds Divorce Decree

The woman countered these allegations, claiming abandonment by her husband and mistreatment by her in-laws. Nevertheless, the High Court remained unconvinced by her assertions. Citing previous determinations of cruelty by both civil and district judges, the High Court upheld the divorce decree, finding no legal deficiencies in the appellate court’s evaluation of the evidence. It concluded that no substantial legal issues merited further consideration, thereby dismissing the woman’s appeal.

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