New Delhi, Sep 30 (IANS) : The Delhi High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against a man and his family members accused of subjecting a woman to cruelty and dowry harassment, after the parties amicably settled their matrimonial dispute and obtained divorce under Muslim personal law.
A single-judge Bench of Justice Ravinder Dudeja allowed the petition filed by Mohd Kasim and others seeking quashing of an FIR registered under Sections 498A, 406 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Jamia Nagar police station, observing that continuing with the criminal proceedings would serve no useful purpose as the dispute was primarily private in nature.
The criminal case stemmed from the marriage between the complainant and petitioner no. 1, solemnised on March 11, 2023, as per Muslim rites and customs.
No child was born from the wedlock, and the parties started living separately from September 28, 2023, following allegations of physical and mental harassment over dowry demands.
The FIR was registered on October 1, 2024, and a chargesheet was subsequently filed under Sections 498A, 506, 406, 509, 354C and 34 IPC, besides Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act.
During the proceedings, the parties were referred to mediation and amicably resolved their disputes before the Mediation Centre at Saket Courts, Delhi.
The settlement was recorded in writing on February 7, 2026. As part of the settlement, petitioner No. 1 and the complainant obtained divorce as per Muslim personal laws (Khula) through an agreement entered on March 7, 2026.
The petitioner also paid the entire settlement amount of Rs 1.50 lakh to the complainant as agreed.
The parties were present before the High Court and the complainant confirmed that the matter had been settled voluntarily, without any force, fear or coercion, and that she had received the entire settlement amount along with the articles.
She also stated that she had no objection to the quashing of the FIR against the petitioners.
“In view of the settlement arrived at between the parties, continuing with criminal proceedings would serve no useful purpose, especially, when dispute does not involve any public interest and is, primarily, private in nature,” Justice Dudeja said.
Exercising its inherent powers under Section 528 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the Delhi High Court held that it was appropriate to quash the FIR “to secure the ends of justice”.
Accordingly, the Delhi High Court quashed FIR No. 362/2024 registered at the Jamia Nagar police station under Sections 498A, 406 and 34 IPC, along with all consequential proceedings arising from it, and allowed the petition.
