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Rajat Kumar Bharti and Ors. vs. State NCT of Delhi and Anr.

Criminal Miscellaneous Case · 2026:DHC:7799Decided 14 Sept 2026New Delhi Bench
CRL.M.C. 6783/2026CNR: DLHC010433072026
Justice Girish Kathpalia

Background

A wife had filed a 2021 FIR against her husband, mother-in-law and sisters-in-law under Sections 498A/406/34 IPC alleging matrimonial cruelty and misappropriation. She later reconciled with her husband and has been living with him and their 18-year-old son for about two years, and sought to have the FIR quashed against all the petitioners.

Decision Breakdown

The judge personally spoke with the complainant in Hindi in court to verify her wishes directly. She confirmed she had reconciled with her husband, was living happily with him, and no longer wanted to pursue the case against any of the petitioners (her mother-in-law and now-married sisters-in-law included). Satisfied this reconciliation was genuine, the Court held that forcing the family through a full trial would serve no purpose and quashed the FIR entirely.

Lesson Learnt

Where spouses have genuinely reconciled and resumed family life, courts are willing to personally verify the complainant's wishes and quash matrimonial criminal cases against the whole family rather than let an old, now-pointless case drag through trial.

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