In Brief
A woman filed a dowry-related complaint against her husband and his family under Section 498A (cruelty) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) IPC, alleging marital unhappiness after just 20 days of marriage. The High Court declined to quash the proceedings. The Supreme Court allowed the appeal and quashed the criminal case, holding that the allegations and investigation did not disclose the essential ingredients of either offence: there was no dowry demand, no harassment to coerce unlawful demands, and no conduct likely to cause grave injury—only marital discord. The court held that mere unhappiness cannot sustain these charges.
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