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2026 INSC 1183 NON-REPORTABLE IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. OF 2026 (Arising out of Special Leave Petition (Criminal) No.12158 of 2025)

PIYUSH S/O DEEPAK NARLAWAR APPELLANT VERSUS STATE OF MAHARASHTRA & OTHERS RESPONDENTS J U D G M E N T NAGARATHNA, J.

Leave granted.

2. This appeal arises out of the order dated 08.01.2025 passed by the Bombay High Court, Aurangabad Bench in Criminal Application No.725/2024 filed under Section 482 of Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (for short, “CrPC”) refusing to quash the proceedings qua the appellant arising out of FIR No.212/2023 dated 30.06.2023 registered with Satara Police Station, District Signature Not Verified BORRA LM VALLI Date: 2026.11.02

17:00:11 IST Reason: Aurangabad Town under Sections 304B, 323, 498A, 504 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (for short, “IPC”) and Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 (for short, “DP Act”). However, while dismissing the said criminal application with respect to the appellant herein, the High Court granted the relief of quashing the FIR and all consequential proceedings thereto qua the other family members of the appellant, namely, respondent Nos.3 to 5. Aggrieved, the appellant, who is the son-in-law of the complainant-respondent No.2, has preferred the present criminal appeal.

3. Briefly stated, the facts of the case are that the appellant married the daughter (hereinafter “deceased”) of respondent No.2 on 03.01.2021 as per Hindu traditional rites and rituals and thereafter the couple started cohabiting in Chandrapur along with the family of the appellant. On 28.02.2022, the couple shifted their matrimonial home to Toronto, Canada and resided together.

4. On 11.06.2023, the wife of the appellant died by jumping from the 22nd floor of her residential apartment where she was residing with the appellant. A hand-written suicide note was recovered from the shared apartment which reads as follows:

“I Failed in my life. It's been more than a year but still struggling to find a job. I feel like I am Stupid and useless person. I don’t want to live with this feeling, so I quit. I don’t want to live so I am leaving.

Just donate my all organs to the needy people and bury me here, its my last wish.”

5. Alleging foul play on the part of the appellant in the suicide of his daughter, respondent No.2 filed FIR No.212/2023 dated 30.06.2023 before Satara Police Station as against the appellant and his family members including his parents and sister. The allegations contained in the said FIR are as follows:

i. The daughter of respondent No.2 was married to the appellant on 03.01.2021 and even before the marriage, the appellant and his family made unlawful dowry demands including fifteen tolas of gold. The said unlawful demand was fulfilled due to the fear of breakdown of solemnization of marriage.

ii. After marriage, the couple started residing at Chandrapur with the family of the appellant and in the initial six months of marriage the deceased had confided that the appellant was quick-tempered, easily irritable and would get angry over trifle issues.

iii. That on the occasion of Diwali, respondent No.2 gave a gold bracelet to their daughter, a gold ring to the appellant as he had demanded two tolas of gold as dowry.

iv. After shifting to Toronto, Canada, the appellant adopted a fault finding attitude towards the deceased and used to frequently point out her mistakes and called her names such as “stupid and useless” predominantly due to the fact that she was not able to find a job for herself in Canada.

v. In September 2022, the deceased came to India to attend the wedding of her cousin, where the appellant unlawfully demanded three tolas of gold. The said demand was acceded to in order to avoid further confrontation and disrepute. Even at the time of the wedding, the deceased was subjected to repeated abuse and torture including deceased being slapped u