Kamaljeet Kaur & Anr. vs. State of NCT Delhi & Anr.
Background
FIR No. 145/2023 (PS Punjabi Bagh) had been registered against the petitioners under Section 498A/406/34 IPC arising from a matrimonial dispute. By the time of this hearing, the marriage between the petitioner and the complainant (respondent no. 2) had already ended in divorce, and the parties told the Court they had settled all their disputes.
Decision Breakdown
The complainant, appearing via videoconference and identified by the investigating officer, told the Court in Hindi that she had compromised all disputes, had received a full and final settlement covering her stridhan (her personal/marital property) and maintenance claims, and no longer wished to pursue the prosecution. Satisfied this was genuine and voluntary, and noting the State had no objection, the Court held a full trial was unnecessary and quashed the FIR and all proceedings arising from it.
Lesson Learnt
Once a matrimonial criminal case is fully and voluntarily settled, including financial claims like stridhan and maintenance, and the marriage itself has already ended, courts are generally willing to close the criminal proceedings rather than let them continue as a formality.