The Karnataka High Court has refused to quash a dowry harassment FIR against a husband and his parents, observing that there cannot be a blanket rule to dismiss complaints against in-laws in matrimonial disputes. The court directed the police to investigate the allegations while examining the nine-year delay in filing the complaint.

The court pointed out the nine-year gap in the complaint, considering the fact that the couple got married in 2016, but the wife came forward with allegations this year. Justice Anant Ramanath Hegde made the observations while dealing with a plea by a husband and his family members seeking to quash an FIR in a dowry harassment case.

“It is indeed true that the cases against the family members of the husband are on the rise, where the dispute between the husband and wife is given the colour of a criminal case.…