High Court Rebukes Divorced Woman for Legal Abuse, Orders to pay Rs 1 Lakh to Ex-Husband

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on a divorced woman while taking a dim view of of her move to continue an “unscrupulous litigation” against her former husband and his elderly parents.

Justice Subodh Abhyankar of the HC’s single bench in Indore expressed disapproval of her actions in an order dated March 1, stating that she had “misused the process of the court.”

The fine was imposed to serve as a warning to litigants who might attempt to manipulate the legal system. Despite receiving Rs 50 lakh as part of a settlement following their divorce by mutual consent in February of the previous year, the woman failed to fulfill her commitment to withdraw a case she had filed against her ex-husband and in-laws five years prior, alleging cruelty, criminal intimidation, and other offenses.

The court, while dismissing charges related to dowry harassment, assault, and abortion without the woman’s consent, directed her to pay Rs 1 lakh to her former husband. The HC emphasized the seriousness of legal proceedings, asserting that litigants should not be allowed to waste the court’s time frivolously.

The woman was instructed to transfer the specified amount to her ex-husband’s bank account within four weeks. Notably, the couple had mutually consented to divorce on February 2, 2023, with the man also providing her with Rs 50 lakh as part of the settlement.

The court observed that the woman’s persistence in pursuing criminal charges against the petitioners, despite reaching a compromise with her former husband and accepting a substantial sum, constituted a clear “misuse of the process of the court.”