Bombay High Court Acquits Family in 20-Year-Old Cruelty Case

Court rules that alleged domestic actions did not meet legal definition of cruelty under IPC Section 498A.

The Bombay High Court's Aurangabad Bench overturned the conviction of a man and his family accused of cruelty leading to a woman's suicide in 2002.
Justice Abhay S Waghwase stated that actions like not allowing the woman to watch TV or making her sleep on a carpet do not constitute severe cruelty.
The court emphasized that cruelty is a relative term and cannot be strictly defined, noting that not all harassment qualifies as legal cruelty.
The court found no evidence of consistent or incessant behavior by the accused that could be linked to the woman's suicide.
The decision criticized the trial court's original conviction, citing a lack of substantial evidence and the absence of recent communication from the deceased about any cruelty.