Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court dismissed a dowry harassment case, ruling that vague accusations without evidence cannot support criminal charges under IPC Section 498-A and Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act.
Justice J. Sridevi delivered the verdict after reviewing a 2022 complaint filed by a woman from Rajendranagar, Attapur in Ranga Reddy district. She accused her husband’s parents Govind Prasad Sharma and Usha Sharma from Maharashtra of demanding an additional dowry of ₹10 lakh.
The complainant, married to their son Mahesh since 2017, alleged mental harassment. However, the court observed that she failed to mention when or where the alleged abuse took place.
Consequently, Justice Sridevi criticised the inclusion of older family members in criminal cases based only on generic claims. She remarked, “Charges without time, place, or clarity have no legal ground.” The court also referenced the Supreme Court’s Bhajan Lal vs State of Haryana case, suggesting the complaint appeared to stem from personal vendetta.
Furthermore, the judge stressed that the law must protect justice, not enable harassment.
Based on these findings, the court quashed the charges and closed the case. The ruling may serve as a precedent in cases involving unsubstantiated allegations against family members.
