The Uttarakhand High Court has quashed two criminal proceedings arising out of matrimonial discord after noting that the husband and wife had reached a mutual settlement and no longer wished to pursue the litigation against each other.
The matter came before a Single Bench of Justice Ashish Naithani on petitions filed by Jitendra Singh Chauhan and his wife Akshi Bisht Chauhan. Both parties submitted that they had amicably resolved their disputes and placed written statements on record affirming their intention to live peacefully.
The State objected to the quashing, pointing out that the cases involved serious allegations.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Giyan Singh v. State of Punjab, the Bench observed that criminal proceedings can be quashed when parties mutually settle their disputes, especially in cases arising out of matrimonial differences. The Court noted that such resolutions serve the interest of peace and harmony.
Accordingly, the High Court quashed a case pending before the CJM Court, Dehradun, which contained allegations of dowry harassment, assault, verbal abuse, and offences under the Dowry Prohibition Act. It also set aside another case involving charges of abortion, blackmail, and criminal conspiracy.
With this, both petitions were disposed of, bringing the disputes between the parties to a close.
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