The Allahabad High Court has dismissed dowry harassment charges against a man, ruling that the allegations were likely motivated by personal disputes between the couple.
In a recent judgment, Justice Anish Kumar Gupta dismissed the case against Pranjal Shukla and two others, finding that the evidence presented in the FIR and witness statements did not support the claims of dowry harassment. The court noted that the primary allegations centred around the couple’s sexual relationship and the wife’s refusal of certain sexual acts.
The Allahabad High Court stated that these allegations did not indicate dowry harassment but rather personal differences between the couple. “It is apparent that the dispute is about the sexual incompatibility of the parties for which the dispute was there between the parties and due to the said dispute the instant FIR has been lodged by the opposite party making out the false and concocted allegations about the demand of dowry,” the court stated.
The court further questioned the societal implications of such allegations, stating, “If a man were to demand sexual favours from his wife and vice versa, where would they go to satisfy their physical sexual urges in a morally civilized society?”
The petitioner, Meena Shukla, had filed the FIR against her husband, alleging abusive behaviour, including being forced to engage in unnatural sex and watch pornography. She also filed an FIR against her in-laws, alleging dowry harassment.
However, the high court found no evidence to support these allegations and quashed the FIRs against Pranjal Shukla and his in-laws. The court concluded that “the instant FIR is nothing but a concocted story of demand of dowry by making general and vague allegations against the applicants herein.”
(With inputs of PTI)
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