NAGPUR: The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court recently ruled that requiring a working wife to contribute her salary towards household expenses does not inherently constitute unlawful demand or cruelty. Justice Vrushali Joshi dismissed an FIR and chargesheet filed against a Nagpur-based man and his parents under Indian Penal Code Sections 498-A (cruelty by husband or his relatives) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), as reported by Vaibhav Ganjapure.
The court’s decision arose from a case in which the wife, a government employee, claimed she was pressured to contribute her salary due to perceived shortcomings in her household responsibilities. Upon reviewing the allegations and evidence, Justice Joshi concluded that such a claim did not meet the legal criteria for cruelty under matrimonial law. This case originated from a complaint filed by the wife following a deterioration in the marital relationship.
