Aditya Aggarwal vs. State (Govt. of NCT of Delhi) & Anr.
Background
The petitioners sought quashing of an FIR alleging cruelty, breach of trust and unnatural sex, filed by the wife against her husband and his relatives. The couple's marriage had already been dissolved by a decree of divorce, and no children were born of the marriage.
Decision Breakdown
The wife appeared before the Court by videoconference and confirmed she had compromised all disputes, received full and final settlement of her stridhan and maintenance claims, and no longer wished to prosecute the petitioners. Being satisfied of the genuineness of the settlement after speaking with her directly, the Court held that pushing the parties through a full trial would serve no purpose and quashed the FIR along with all related proceedings.
Lesson Learnt
Where a wife herself confirms before the Court, of her own free will, that a matrimonial dispute, even one involving serious allegations, has been genuinely and fully settled, the High Court can quash the entire criminal case rather than force an unwilling complainant through trial.