Stopping Wife From Entering Kitchen Is Cruelty, Rules HC Nagpur: The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court ruled that preventing a wife from entering the kitchen of her matrimonial home constitutes mental cruelty under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The court refused to quash an FIR against the husband while granting relief to his mother-in-law. In a recent order, Justice Urmila Joshi-Phalke found that the allegations against the Nagpur-based husband disclosed a prima facie case of cruelty, while those against the mother-in-law were deemed vague and nonspecific. The case originated from a complaint filed by a woman in Akola, who alleged that after her marriage on November 29, 2022, her husband frequently quarreled with her, restricted her movements, and barred her from visiting her parents’ home. She claimed she was prevented from cooking, forced to obtain food from outside, and subjected to humiliation, including having her belongings thrown out and being pressured to seek divorce. The husband challenged the FIR filed in 2024, arguing that the complaint was a “counterblast” to his divorce petition and contained only general allegations. The prosecution and the complainant opposed the plea, asserting that the accusations clearly established mental cruelty. The court agreed with the prosecution, noting that the allegations against the husband were specific and indicative of wilful conduct causing mental harm. However, the court also observed that the mother-in-law’s allegations were general, omnibus, and fake, as they were made because she was the complainant-wife’s mother-in-law. The court quashed the FIR and related proceedings against the mother-in-law.#bombay_high_court #nagpur_bench #urmila_joshi_phalke #section_498a_ipc #nagpur_husband
