Lagatar24 Desk
Ranchi: In a landmark decision, the Jharkhand High Court has ruled that a wife cannot include her husband’s alleged girlfriend in a dowry harassment case. According to the court, Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) allows dowry harassment charges to be brought only against the husband and his close blood relatives.
The ruling came in response to a petition filed by the alleged girlfriend of Jharkhand Police Sub-Inspector Vikas Yadav, who was named in a dowry harassment case filed by his wife. The wife’s complaint included accusations against Yadav’s alleged girlfriend, claiming harassment related to dowry. The alleged girlfriend approached the High Court to have the charges against her dismissed.
During the hearing, Justice Anil Kumar Chaudhary noted that Section 498A specifies that only close family members or blood relatives of the husband can be named in such cases. Advocate Suraj Kishore Prasad, representing the alleged girlfriend, argued that the law does not recognize individuals outside the husband’s family as liable in dowry harassment matters.
Based on these arguments, the court ruled in favor of the petitioner and quashed the charges against her, setting a precedent for cases involving accusations against non-relatives in dowry harassment complaints.
