The Kerala High Court granted anticipatory bail to a 27-year-old rape accused, observing that the complaint showed signs of a consensual relationship. The Court said, “Failed consensual relationship is not a ground to allege rape.”
A court ruled that in dowry death cases, the focus should be on the marriage and its circumstances, not the place where the woman died. The husband had argued that no dowry offence was made out since his wife died at her parental home. The court rejected this claim, stating that the location of the suicide does not diminish the seriousness of the allegations. The judgment reinforces that the nature of the marital relationship is central in such cases.
Today, 11th April, The Madhya Pradesh High Court (HC) ruled that denying food to a married woman due to unmet dowry demands constitutes physical and mental cruelty, punishable under Section 498A of the IPC. The court also noted that forcing a woman to live in her parental home due to dowry non-payment constitutes mental harassment. The ruling rejected the plea to dismiss a First Information Report (FIR) filed by the wife against her husband and in-laws, stating the allegations of withholding food and mental harassment were substantial. The court emphasized that the FIR was not retaliatory and dismissed the husband’s petition.