Bengaluru: In an unusual domestic dispute, the Karnataka High Court has halted further investigations against a Bengaluru man accused by his wife of prioritising their pet cat over her. Though the case was filed by the Bengaluru-based woman against her husband under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the court observed, “The case doesn’t primarily pertain to cruelty by a husband or his relatives towards a woman.”
While pausing the investigations in the case, the single bench of Justice M. Nagaprasanna observed that no specific allegations supporting harassment under Section 498A were made out in the complaint. “The complaint is a narration of marriage and living together, but the crux of the allegation is founded upon the squabble regarding a pet cat that is in the house of the husband. The allegation is that the husband takes care of the cat more than the wife,” Justice M Nagaprasanna said while hearing the petition on Thursday.
The bench further noted, “Whenever the wife has pointed out this, there is a dispute between the two, and abuses are hurled. That is what is narrated in most of the paragraphs of the complaint. Therefore, the issue is not about the demand for dowry or assault on demand of dowry or cruelty meted out by the husband. The issue is with regards to the pet cat and the cat attacking or scratching the wife several times.”
The bench also remarked that the trivial domestic disputes like these often place unnecessary burdens on the judiciary and misuse legal provisions meant to address genuine issues of domestic violence. “It is such frivolous cases that have clogged the criminal justice system today, and if the investigation is permitted in the case at hand, it would add one more case to the already clogged justice system,” the bench pointed out. Meanwhile, the court has also issued a notice to the complainant while adjourning the matter for further consideration.
