The Karnataka High Court has stayed investigations into a case against a man for allegedly forbidding his wife from eating French fries after the birth of their child in the United States.
Judge M. Nagaprasanna considered the allegations against the man to be trivial and therefore closed the investigation.
In his reasoning for the verdict, the judge noted that continuing the investigation would amount to an abuse of the legal process.
“Allowing any investigation against the husband would be an abuse of the legal process, as it would add further weight to the wife’s allegations that she was not allowed to eat chips at the time in question. Therefore, an interim injunction should be issued suspending any investigation against the husband,” he said.
The woman’s husband, who works in the United States, was also given permission to return to work after assuring the court that he would cooperate with the investigating authorities and not evade the proceedings.
The man requested a stay of the investigation on the grounds that the complaint was invalid.
His lawyer pointed out that following his wife’s complaint, a “Look Out Circular” (LOC) was issued against him, preventing him from working in the United States again.
The court had previously suspended investigations against the man’s parents, who were also named in the lawsuit.
In her lawsuit, the wife claimed that her husband did not allow her to eat chips, rice and meat shortly after the birth of the child. The husband countered that his wife had made him do all the housework during their stay in the United States before the birth of the child.
Judge Nagaprasanna criticised the application of the LOC in this case, terming it an abuse of the legal system. He concluded that the complaint was not serious and allowed the man to return to the US to fulfil his professional obligations.
He further stated, “Nowhere in the complaint does it contain any reference to any offence punishable under Section 498A of the IPC, even against the husband.”
