Asking daughter-in-law to do household chores, not cruelty: Bombay High Court

Asking daughter-in-law to do household chores, not cruelty: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court has ruled that asking a daughter-in-law to perform household chores, such as washing clothes and utensils, does not by itself constitute cruelty under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

In an order dated October 1, 2026, Justice Abhay Mantri quashed an FIR and criminal proceedings against six relatives of a woman’s husband, observing that the allegations against them were vague and did not specify the individual role of each accused.

The woman had alleged that her husband and his relatives harassed her, including taunting her over her inability to conceive. She also claimed that her husband took her to his sister’s house, where she was asked to wash clothes and utensils.

However, the court noted that the complaint did not clearly specify when, where, or how the alleged harassment took place. It also observed that the husband’s relatives lived in different locations and that no specific role had been attributed to them.

The court held that even if the woman had been asked to perform household chores, that act alone did not satisfy the legal requirements of cruelty under Section 498A IPC.

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