In Brief
The Supreme Court partially allowed the appeal against the High Court's decision dismissing a petition to quash the charge sheet. The Court held that while Section 482 CrPC power may be exercised for non-compoundable offences if ends of justice require, serious offences affecting society—such as dowry violations—cannot be quashed on settlement grounds. On Section 493 IPC (deceitful cohabitation), the Court found the FIR allegations insufficient: mere misleading statements about marriage ceremony progression do not constitute the required deception inducing belief in lawful marriage. However, for dowry offences under Section 3/4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, specific allegations of dowry demand clearly disclosed cognizable offences, warranting continuation. The charge sheet for Section 493 was quashed; proceedings under dowry provisions were upheld.
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