AP High Court held that once marriage is declared null and void ab-initio, no criminal proceedings for cruelty u/s 498A IPC are maintainable and on that ground discharge petition filed must be allowed.
From Para 16,
16. Learned counsel for the Petitioners contends that even upon conducting the trial, the ultimate conclusion of the proceedings is anticipated to result in the acquittal of the accused individuals. Consequently, it is asserted that the trial Court, given this foreseeable outcome, should have exercised its discretion to discharge the accused persons from further legal proceedings. In support of their contention, the Petitioners have also placed reliance on the judgment of the Hon’ble Apex Court in P. Siva Kumar & ors. V. State Rep., by the Deputy Superintendent of Police and ors7, wherein it held that:
7. Undisputedly, the marriage between the appellant No.1 and PW-1 has been found to be null and void. As such the conviction under Section 498-A IPC would not be sustainable in view of the judgment of this Court in the case Shivcharan Lal Verma’s case supra. So far as the conviction under Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act is concerned, the learned trial Judge by an elaborate reasoning, arrived at after appreciation of evidence, has found that the prosecution has failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt. In an appeal/revision, the High court could have set aside the order of acquittal only if the findings as recorded by the trial Court were perverse or impossible.
From Paras 17 and 18,
17. The learned counsel representing the Petitioners ardently asserts that in instances where a marriage is deemed null and void, the pursuit of legal proceedings under sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act becomes untenable. Central to this argument is the delineation of “dowry” as envisaged within the Act, positing it as a demand for property or valuable security intricately intertwined with the institution of marriage. Emphasizing the exhaustive scope of dowry as defined in section 2 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, counsel underscores its inclusive nature, encompassing a wide array of assets and properties exchanged directly or indirectly in connection with matrimonial alliances. Furthermore, counsel contends that once a marriage is declared null and void, any purported demand for dowry in relation to said marriage loses legal validity. Notably, in the case of P. Siva Kumar’s case as referred to supra, the Hon’ble Apex Court independently scrutinized the trial court’s decision, despite the nullification of the marriage, to assess the applicability of charges under sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act.
18. Learned counsel for the Petitioners has apprised the Court of an admission made by the 2nd Respondent herein (wife/Defacto Complainant) during the Family Court proceedings. The order passed in F.C.O.P.No.1275 of 2015 reveals that the wife/Defacto Complainant did not raise any objection to the declaration of the marriage as null and void, but sought leave to contest other allegations pertaining to the recovery of amounts and ornaments through separate proceedings. Additionally, it appears that both parties have reached an amicable compromise, rendering the continuation of the proceedings unnecessary. In light of these circumstances, this Court is inclined to believe that the Petitioners have established a case warranting the allowing of the Revision Case.
Index of Divorce judgments is here.
