Courts Confronting Matrimonial Misuse: A Rising Trend of 'Pressure Tactic' Cases

The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has expressed concerns over the misuse of matrimonial prosecutions, often initiated by women as 'pressure tactics'. The court highlighted the abuse of Section 498-A of the IPC, cautioning against reducing the criminal justice system to a tool for personal vendettas.

The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has raised alarms over what it perceives as a 'disturbing pattern' in matrimonial prosecutions. Justice Pravin Patil, while quashing an FIR filed in a Wardha case, identified a trend where women allegedly use legal avenues like Section 498-A of the IPC as coercive tactics in marital disputes.

This action often results in trivializing the severe provisions intended to protect genuine victims of domestic harassment and cruelty. The court denounced the practice of implicating entire families over minor disputes, stressing the need to protect innocent individuals from such vexatious prosecutions.

The bench remarked on the importance of differentiating genuine victims from those misusing the law, to preserve the integrity of India's criminal justice system. Such misuse, the court noted, causes lasting prejudice and social stigma for falsely accused individuals.

(With inputs from agencies.)