‘Calling wife ‘stupid’ and ‘good-for-nothing’ is not crime’:SC calls it husband’s bad behaviour; warns against naming relatives in dowry cases without evidence

A bench comprising Supreme Court Justices BV Nagarathna and Manmohan said that calling one’s wife “stupid” and “useless” does not amount to cruelty or a criminal offence. The court said this only reflects the husband’s nature. However, it cannot be given such a serious criminal interpretation that it is presumed to have caused the wife’s suicide. The court also said that courts must exercise caution in dowry-death and matrimonial cases and must not make husbands and their families scapegoats without evidence. The Supreme Court said that the woman’s father had accused her husband and his family of mental and physical cruelty. There were also allegations of dowry demands, but these were not substantiated. No link was established between the allegations against the husband and his family and the woman’s death. Marriage took place five years ago The accused man married on 3 January 2021. The couple then moved to Toronto in February 2022. The wife died by suicide after jumping from the 22nd floor on 11 June 2023. The suicide note said, “I have not found a job for a year and have failed in life.” Subsequently, the woman’s father filed an FIR on 30 June 2023 in Satara, Aurangabad, under Sections 304B (dowry death), 498A (cruelty), 323 and 504 of the IPC, as well as provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act. The bench said that to invoke Section 304B of the IPC, it must be proved that the woman had faced cruelty or harassment over dowry soon before her death. The court said the prosecution had failed to present concrete evidence proving that the husband had made an unlawful demand for dowry. It was also not proved that this demand was directly linked to the wife’s suicide. Husband and in-laws cannot be held responsible without evidence The bench said, “We understand the grief and pain of the family that has lost its daughter. But the husband and in-laws cannot be held responsible unless it is proved that an act or omission on their part forced the woman to commit suicide.” The court said that merely stating that the accused subjected the victim to verbal and physical cruelty is not sufficient, prima facie. It cannot be presumed on the basis of such allegations that the acts described led to the suicide. This will also apply in cases where the prosecution seeks to establish a connection between the suicide and harassment, cruelty or criminal intimidation. The Supreme Court said that courts must exercise extreme caution in such cases. They should adopt a practical approach while hearing matrimonial disputes, taking the actual circumstances into account.