The Delhi High Court dismissed a petition demanding an income tax investigation against in-laws over a Rs 2 crore dowry allegation, stating it was beyond the tax department’s jurisdiction. The court ruled that such family disputes should be resolved through proper legal channels.
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New Delhi: A high-profile case involving allegations of dowry and illegal money transactions during a wedding has taken a new turn.
The petitioner, who had accused her in-laws of demanding and accepting Rs 2 crore in dowry, had also requested an income tax investigation against them.
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However, the Delhi High Court has now dismissed this plea, stating that deciding on such matters is beyond the jurisdiction of the Income Tax Department.
The Delhi High Court had already ruled on the financial matters between the families in an earlier judgment. The petitioner alleged that her husband’s family had not only taken Rs 2 crore in dowry but had also used black money in the wedding transactions.
She demanded a thorough investigation by the Income Tax Department to verify the financial dealings of her in-laws. However, the court did not find merit in this argument.
Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, in response to this plea, questioned the necessity of a tax probe in a matter already resolved legally.
“Such petitions are not within the scope of the Income Tax Department,”
-the court observed.
The petitioner’s lawyer argued that the groom’s family had amassed wealth through illegal means, justifying the demand for an investigation.
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However, the court was not convinced, stating,
“This is how the system works in the current scenario.”
The case originated when the woman filed a dowry harassment complaint against her husband and his family after their marriage in 2022. She claimed that despite giving a significant dowry amount, her in-laws subjected her to mistreatment. In response to her allegations, she sought an investigation into the financial assets of her husband’s family.
Her legal team presented evidence that the in-laws had unaccounted wealth, insisting that an inquiry by the Income Tax Department was necessary. However, the Delhi High Court ruled that tax authorities cannot interfere in such disputes.
“Such disputes fall under different legal provisions, and the Income Tax Department has no role in deciding them,”
-the court clarified.
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During the proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel presented instances where similar cases had led to financial probes, attempting to establish precedence for this request. However, the court remained firm in its stance.
“This is how the system works in the current scenario,”
-it reiterated.
Additionally, the petitioner argued that her husband and his family failed to provide a valid explanation for their financial status, which, according to her, strengthened her claims of illegal money transactions. She emphasized that despite possessing significant assets, they had not undergone any legal scrutiny.
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In its final ruling, the Delhi High Court referred to the Income Tax Act of 1961, stating that matters concerning family disputes and alleged illegal financial transactions should be dealt with under the relevant legal frameworks, not through tax investigations.
“Such disputes fall under different legal provisions, and the Income Tax Department has no role in deciding them,”
-the judgment reinforced.
The court further elaborated that in cases of marital discord involving financial disagreements, tax authorities cannot be used as a tool for legal action. It mentioned that India has a structured legal process for handling dowry cases and related financial matters under Section 226 of the legal framework.
With this decision, the Delhi High Court has set a precedent by dismissing the demand for an income tax investigation into alleged dowry-related financial misconduct, asserting that such issues should be dealt with through appropriate legal channels rather than tax authorities.
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