Disposed¶8

Piyush Rathi & Ors. v. State NCT of Delhi & Anr.

Delhi HC20 Mar 2026CRL.M.C./1406/2026

Case brief

AI extract

What is this about?

Quashing of FIR; matrimonial dispute; amicable settlement/compromise between parties; free-will consent of complainant (wife), no coercion; Settlement dated 08.12.2025, Delhi Mediation Centre, Karkardooma Courts; Sections 498A, 406, 377, 34 IPC; Sections 3 and 4 Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961; Sections 323, 341, 506, 34 IPC; FIR No. 103/2024 and FIR No. 325/2023, PS Bhajan Pura; demand drafts Rs. 3,50,000 and Rs. 3,00,000 (Axis Bank); interest of justice; no legal impediment to quashing; CRL.M.C., High Court of Delhi; Dr. Swarana Kanta Sharma, J.; order dated 20.03.2026.

What did the court decide?

Both petitions disposed of; FIR No. 103/2024 and FIR No. 325/2023 (Police Station Bhajan Pura, Delhi) and all consequential proceedings emanating therefrom quashed. ¶8

Piyush Rathi & Ors. Vs State NCT of Delhi & Anr. — Dowry and Cruelty | Delhi HC (2026)

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Both petitions disposed of; FIR No. 103/2024 and FIR No. 325/2023 (Police Station Bhajan Pura, Delhi) and all consequential proceedings emanating therefrom quashed.

¶8

Issue for consideration

Whether FIR No. 103/2024 (Sections 498A/406/377/34 IPC; Sections 3/4 Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961) and FIR No. 325/2023 (Sections 323/341/506/34 IPC), both registered at Police Station Bhajan Pura, Delhi, and the consequential proceedings should be quashed in view of the amicable settlement between the parties.

¶1

Court's answer

The parties having amicably resolved their differences out of their own free will and without any coercion, no useful purpose would be served by continuing the proceedings, which would only create further acrimony; respondent no. 2, present in person and identified, confirmed the compromise was of her own free will and raised no objection to quashing. It is therefore in the interest of justice to quash the FIRs, and there is no legal impediment to quashing them.

¶6

Ratio / Principle

FIR No. 103/2024 (Sections 498A/406/377/34 IPC; Sections 3/4 DP Act) and FIR No. 325/2023 (Sections 323/341/506/34 IPC), both registered at Police Station Bhajan Pura, Delhi, and all consequential proceedings emanating therefrom stand quashed.

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Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Delhi High Court (Dr. Swarana Kanta Sharma, J.) disposed of two quashing petitions (CRL.M.C. 1406/2026 and CRL.M.C. 1433/2026), quashing FIR No. 103/2024 (Sections 498A/406/377/34 IPC; Sections 3/4 Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961) and FIR No. 325/2023 (Sections 323/341/506/34 IPC), both of Police Station Bhajan Pura, Delhi, and all consequential proceedings emanating therefrom. The parties to the matrimonial dispute had amicably settled vide Settlement dated 08.12.2025 before the Delhi Mediation Centre, Karkardooma Courts; respondent no. 2, present in person and identified by the IO, confirmed the compromise was entered out of her own free will without pressure, coercion or threat, and received two Axis Bank demand drafts dated 17.02.2026 totalling Rs. 6,50,000/-. The Court held that continuation would serve no useful purpose and create further acrimony, that quashing was in the interest of justice, and that there was no legal impediment to quashing.

¶1

$~14 & 15

¶2

IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI

¶3

+ CRL.M.C. 1406/2026
PIYUSH RATHI & ORS.	.....Petitioners
Through:	Petitioners with their counsel Ms. Payal Bahl, Mr. Abhijit Mishra, Mr. Vikhyat Gupta, Mr. Himanshu
	Tomar, Mr. Prashant Jaiswal and Mr. Ram Parvesh Kumar, Advs.
versus
STATE NCT OF DELHI &	ANR. .....Respondents
Through:	Mr. Satinder Singh Bawa, APP for the State along with SI Akash Kumar. R-2 with her counsel Mr. Raj Kumar and Mr. Girish Sharma, Advs.
+ CRL.M.C. 1433/2026
LOKESH RATHI & ANR.	.....Petitioners
Through:	Petitioners with their counsel Ms. Payal Bahl, Mr. Abhijit Mishra, Mr.
versus	Vikhyat Gupta, Mr. Himanshu Tomar, Mr. Prashant Jaiswal and Mr. Ram Parvesh Kumar, Advs.
STATE NCT OF DELHI &	ANR. .....Respondents
Through:	Mr. Satinder Singh Bawa, APP for the State along with SI Akash Kumar and ASI Jitender.
	R-2 with her counsel Mr. Raj Kumar and Mr. Girish Sharma, Advs.

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CORAM:

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HON'BLE DR. JUSTICE SWARANA KANTA SHARMA

O R D E R

20.03.2026

This is a digitally signed order.

¶10

The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 27/03/2026 at 11:48:38

¶11

By way of these petitions, the petitioners are seeking quashing of FIRs, i.e. FIR bearing No. 103/2024, registered at Police Station Bhajan Pura, Delhi, for the commission of offence punishable under Sections 498A/406/377/34 of Indian Penal Code, 1860 (hereafter ‘ IPC ’) and Sections 3/4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 (hereafter ‘ DV Act ’) and FIR bearing No. 325/2023, also registered at Police Station Bhajan Pura, Delhi, for the commission of offence punishable under Sections 323/341/506/34 of IPC.

¶12

The petitioners and respondent no. 2 are present before this Court in person and have been identified by their counsels and concerned Investigating Officer (IO) from Police Station Bhajan Pura, Delhi.

¶13

Briefly stated, facts of the present case are that the marriage between petitioner no. 1 in CRL.M.C. 1406/2026 and respondent no. 2 was solemnized on 22.04.2023 as per the Hindu rites and customs. No child was born from their wedlock. After some time, due to different lifestyles and temperamental differences, both the parties could not reside with each other and since June, 2023, petitioner no. 1 and respondent no. 2 have started living separately from each other. Thereafter, on the complaint of respondent no.2, both the aforementioned FIRs were registered against the petitioners under the relevant sections.

¶14

It is stated that both the parties have amicably settled the present matter vide Settlement dated 08.12.2025, entered between them, before the Delhi Mediation Centre, Karkardooma Courts, Delhi and their statements to the said effect have also been recorded.

¶15

On a query made by this Court, respondent no.2 who has been

¶16

This is a digitally signed order.

¶17

The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 27/03/2026 at 11:48:38

¶18

identified by the concerned IO, has categorically stated that she has entered into compromise out of her own free will and without any pressure, coercion or threat. It is also stated by respondent no. 2 that the entire dispute has been amicably settled between the parties and two demand drafts, bearing Nos. 146916 and 146917, both dated 17.02.2026, in the sum of Rs.3,50,000/- and Rs.3,00,000/-, drawn on Axis Bank, have been handed over to respondent no. 2 in Court today. Respondent no. 2 further states that she has no objection if these FIRs are quashed.

¶19

In view of the above fact that the parties have amicably resolved their differences out of their own free will, without any coercion and no useful purpose will be served by continuing the proceedings, rather the same would create further acrimony between them. It would thus be in interest of justice to quash the abovementioned FIRs and the proceedings pursuant thereto. There is no legal impediment in quashing the FIRs in question.

¶20

Accordingly, FIR bearing No. 103/2024, registered at Police Station Bhajan Pura, Delhi, for the commission of offence punishable under Sections 498A/406/377/34 of IPC and Sections 3/4 of the DP Act and FIR bearing No. 325/2023, also registered at Police Station Bhajan Pura, Delhi, for the commission of offence punishable under Sections 323/341/506/34 of IPC and all consequential proceedings emanating therefrom are quashed.

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In view of the above, both the petitions stand disposed of.

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The order be uploaded on the website forthwith.

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DR. SWARANA KANTA SHARMA, J

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MARCH 20, 2026/A/AP

¶25

This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 27/03/2026 at 11:48:38

Piyush Rathi & Ors. v. State NCT of Delhi & Anr.

Case brief

What is this about?

What did the court decide?

Piyush Rathi & Ors. v. State NCT of Delhi & Anr.

Case brief

What is this about?

What did the court decide?

Why is it important?

What the court decided

Issues for consideration

Statutes considered

Procedural history

Parties & counsel

Coram

Case details

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