Calling wife 'stupid' or 'useless' is not a crime: Supreme Court

According to a report by Dainik Bhaskar, the Supreme Court has clarified in an important verdict that calling a wife 'stupid' or 'useless' cannot be considered a crime or cruelty. A bench of Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice Manmohan noted that such words reflect the husband's temperament, but they cannot be given such a serious criminal color that it would cause a wife to commit suicide. The court emphasized that in cases of dowry death or marital disputes, courts should exercise extreme caution and should not make anyone a 'scapegoat' based solely on allegations without evidence.

According to the details of the case, the individual concerned was married on 3 January 2021. After the marriage, the couple settled in Toronto, Canada, in February 2022. Unfortunately, on 11 June 2023, the wife committed suicide by jumping from the 22nd floor. In her suicide note, the deceased woman clearly wrote, 'I have not found a job for a year, I have failed in life.' Following this incident, the woman's father filed an FIR against the husband and in-laws on 30 June 2023, in Satara, Aurangabad. A case was registered under various sections of the IPC including 304-B (dowry death), 498-A (cruelty), 323, 504, and the Dowry Prohibition Act.

The Supreme Court observed that the allegations of mental and physical cruelty as well as dowry demands made by the woman's father against the husband and in-laws could not be confirmed. No direct link was proven between the allegations made against the accused in the case and the woman's death. The bench clarified that to invoke section 304-B of the IPC, it is mandatory to prove that the woman had faced cruelty or harassment for dowry shortly before her death. In this case, the prosecution could not present any concrete evidence to prove that the husband had made illegal demands for dowry or that this demand had a direct connection to the wife's suicide.

The court further stated, '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 some act or negligence on their part is proven, which forced the woman to commit suicide.' Merely alleging verbal or physical cruelty is not sufficient at first glance. Based on such allegations, it is not appropriate to assume that these acts were the cause of the suicide. This principle applies to all such cases where the prosecution seeks to prove a link between suicide and harassment or cruelty. The Supreme Court concluded by remarking that while hearing marital disputes, courts should adopt a practical approach by considering the actual circumstances.