#Section 498A

The Calcutta High Court held that generalized allegations without specific instances cannot sustain a Section 498A IPC prosecution and that relatives living separately cannot be implicated absent concrete evidence. The ruling clarifies the evidentiary threshold for matrimonial cruelty and shields distant family members from baseless implications.

A live-in partner can now be treated as a ‘husband’ under Section 498A if cruelty is established, extending the law’s protection beyond formal marriage. This interpretation covers cohabiting couples who share marital attributes.