Court quashes ‘ revenge’ criminal case against wife
The Supreme Court has quashed the criminal proceedings initiated by the husband against his wife and her family members as a “revenge” for cheating him that she had completed MCA degree, though she did not possess such degree.
A bench of Justices N. V. Ramana and M. M. Shantanagouder observed that it was a “classic case of revenge” by the estranged husband, Sandeep Pal, an MBBS doctor, who alleged that he was cheated at the time of their marriage.
The bench pointed out that the couple had lived together for over eight years and had two children during their long cohabitation, as such the complaint of cheating registered by Sandeep Pal appeared to be “counter blast” against “maintenance suit” filed by the wife, Anupriya Pal, seeking a monthly alimony of ` 35,000 from him.
The couple had got married on July 6, 2007.
The bench said that even if the wife had not completed her MCA at the time of the marriage, yet, she did complete her MCA and also thereafter completed MBA. “It is not in dispute that the Appellant No. 1 ( wife) was studying MCA at the time of her marriage and she completed MCA and subsequently started pursuing an MBA after the marriage. She has delivered two children and both have lived together for about eight years, though there were lots of differences of opinion and a number of cases were filed by the wife against her husband alleging harassment, etc.”
“Merely on the allegation that the wife had not completed her MCA qualification at the time of marriage and as she completed MCA after the marriage, it cannot be said that the appellants had cheated,” the bench held.