In cases of IPC section 498A (cruelty towards a woman by her husband or the husband’s family), courts must exercise caution to prevent misuse of the legal process, says a bench of Justices B Nagarathna and Kotiswar Singh.

The fact that a wife did not make any complaint regarding cruelty for many years would not make a complaint under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code unsustainable, held the Supreme Court

Even as I sit to write on misuse of Section 498A IPC, news is pouring in all newspapers and so also in news channels and in media that Atul Subhash who was a 34-year-old techie and automobile company

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court bench said that the inclusion of Section 498A by way of an amendment was intended to curb cruelty inflicted on a woman by her husband and his family, ensuring swift intervention by the State.

While quashing a Section 498A IPC case against a husband and his parents, a bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and N Kotiswar Singh said that the Section became a tool for unleashing personal vendetta against the husband and his family by a wife.

A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and N Kotiswar Singh quashed the case filed by a woman against her husband after it was upheld by the Telangana high court.