JUDGMENT :

SANJAY KAROL, J.

1. Leave Granted.

2. The present appeal is directed against an order of the High Court for the State of Telangana at Hyderabad dated 22nd December, 2022 passed in Criminal Petition No. 11528 of 2022, whereby the High Court refused to quash proceedings arising out of C.C. No. 1369 of 2022 on the file of XXVIth Metropolitan Magistrate, Cyberabad at Hayathnagar, under Section 406 of the Indian Penal Code, 18601 [‘IPC’ for brevity] and Section 6 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.

3. Brief facts giving rise to the present appeal are as follows:

3.1 The complaint, which set in motion the Criminal Law, was at the instance of one Padala Veerabhadra Rao (Respondent No. 2 referred to as the complainant herein), who filed the same against the former in-laws of his elder daughter, namely, Padala Sujana Sheela Kumar (referred to as the daughter) for not returning the ornaments (gold) which he had given at the time of her marriage with their son. The marriage was solemnized on 22nd December, 1999.

3.2 Undisputably, the marriage was unsuccessful and after a period of approximately 16 years, the complainant’s daughter on 14th August, 2015 filed for divorce in the United Stat