India Supreme Court warns of rise in frivolous marital lawsuits

The Supreme Court of India noted a growing trend of women filing frivolous complaints under dowry, domestic violence and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Acts against husbands and in‑laws. The bench, led by Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan, said such cases often lack evidence, overload the courts and are used to pressurise settlements.

The Court urged lawyers to counsel clients against baseless suits, clarified that demanding a wife adapt to marital life does not constitute cruelty, and said criminal proceedings based on vague or general allegations should be dismissed. It also quashed a specific POCSO case where the court found no evidence and highlighted the need to distinguish genuine claims from false ones.