The Supreme Court has cautioned people against misusing laws in marriage-related disputes.It said that the laws designed to protect women from cruelty should not be used as a way to take revenge or settle personal scores.

Justices BV Nagarathna and N. Kotiswar Singh made this statement on Tuesday while throwing out a case that had been filed against a man and his family under Section 498(A). Earlier, the Telangana High Court had decided not to dismiss the case.

What is Section 498(A)?

Section 498(A), also called Section 86 under the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), was made to protect married women from being treated badly by their husbands or in-laws. This law can lead to the accused being sent to jail for at least three years and possibly having to pay a fine.

In this case, a woman filed the case after her husband asked for a divorce. The Supreme Court said that simply naming family members without clear evidence that they were involved in the cruelty is not enough to charge them with a crime.

The court explained that Section 498(A) was created to protect women from real cruelty and to make sure the government acts quickly to help them. However, it also mentioned that in recent years, some people have started misusing the law for wrong reasons.

"With a notable rise in matrimonial disputes across the country, there has been a growing tendency to misuse provisions like Section 498(A) as a tool for unleashing personal vendetta against the husband and his family by a wife," the court said.

The judges also said that making unclear or general accusations leads to the misuse of the legal system. It added, "Sometimes, recourse is taken to invoke Section 498(A) against the husband and his family in order to seek compliance with the unreasonable demands of a wife." The court stressed that legal actions should only happen if there is strong proof of a crime being committed.

Telangana HC criticised

The Supreme Court also criticised the Telangana High Court for not throwing out the case earlier. It said the High Court made a "grave error" by allowing the case to continue, even though the wife filed it to settle personal issues.