Indraj Meena Vs State Govt of NCT of Delhi and Anr. — Dowry and Cruelty | Delhi HC (2026)

Indraj Meena Vs State Govt of NCT of Delhi and Anr. — Dowry and Cruelty | Delhi HC (2026)

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Quashing of FIR No.382/2024 dated 15.06.2024 registered at PS.: Rani Bagh, Delhi under Sections 406/498A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and all proceedings emanating therefrom; petition, alongwith pending application CRL.M.A. 11209/2026, disposed of in the aforesaid terms.

Issue for consideration

Whether FIR No.382/2024 dated 15.06.2024 registered at PS.: Rani Bagh, Delhi under Sections 406/498A IPC and all proceedings emanating therefrom ought to be quashed in view of the Memorandum of Understanding dated 17.02.2026 by which the petitioner and respondent no.2 mutually and amicably resolved their disputes.

Court's answer

Since a voluntary settlement had been arrived at between the petitioner and respondent no.2 and there was nothing left to corroborate and prove the case of the prosecution, continuation of the FIR against the petitioner would be an exercise in futility, following the law laid down by the Supreme Court in Jitendra Raghuvanshi (2013) 4 SCC 58, Gian Singh (2012) 10 SCC 303 and Narinder Singh (2014) 6 SCC 466.

Ratio / Principle

The petitioner and respondent no.2 shall remain bound by all the terms and conditions of the settlement arrived inter se themselves.

Key takeaways

FIR No.382/2024 dated 15.06.2024 registered at PS.: Rani Bagh, Delhi under Sections 406/498A IPC and all proceedings emanating therefrom are quashed; the present petition is allowed.ratio¶¶22

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Quashing of FIR — matrimonial dispute — Sections 406/498A IPC — petition under Section 528 BNSS. The Delhi High Court (Saurabh Banerjee, J., order dated 13.04.2026) allowed CRL.M.C. 2760/2026 and quashed FIR No.382/2024 dated 15.06.2024, PS Rani Bagh, Delhi, under Sections 406/498A IPC, together with all proceedings emanating therefrom. The petition, filed by the husband, rested on a Memorandum of Understanding dated 17.02.2026 (Annexure P2) by which he and respondent no.2 mutually and amicably resolved their disputes; out of the total settlement of Rs.19,50,000/-, Rs.10,50,000/- had already been paid and a Demand Draft No.065888 dated 09.04.2026 (State Bank of India, Lalsot Road, Dausa) for Rs.9,00,000/- was handed over in Court as full and final settlement of all present, past and future claims including alimony and maintenance. The marriage stood dissolved by mutual consent under Section 13B(2) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1995 vide Decree dated 07.03.2026. Respondent no.2, present in Court, affirmed the MoU and had no objection to quashing; the learned APP for the State likewise raised none. Following Jitendra Raghuvanshi (2013) 4 SCC 58, Gian Singh (2012) 10 SCC 303 and Narinder Singh (2014) 6 SCC 466, the Court held that nothing remained to corroborate and prove the case of the prosecution and continuation of the FIR would be an exercise in futility; the parties were to remain bound by all terms and conditions of the settlement arrived at inter se. Petition, alongwith pending application CRL.M.A. 11209/2026, disposed of accordingly.

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IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI

- CRL.M.C. 2760/2026. CRL.M.A. 11209/2026 INDRAJ MEENA .....Petitioner

Through: Mr. Gaurav Kumar Meena and Mr. Ayush Gangwar, Advs.

versus

STATE GOVT OF NCT OF DELHI AND ANR

.....Respondents

Through: Mr. Raghuinder Verma, APP with Mr. Aditya Vikram Singh, Adv. Mr. Shivam Aroa, Adv. for R-2 SI-Ravinder, PS: Rani Bagh

CORAM:

HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SAURABH BANERJEE O R D E R

% 13.04.2026 1. By virtue of the present petition under Section 528 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 ( BNSS ), the petitioner seeks quashing of the FIR No.382/2024 dated 15.06.2024 registered at PS.: Rani Bagh, Delhi under Sections 406/498A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 ( IPC ) and all proceedings emanating therefrom, in view of Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU ) dated 17.02.2026 ( Annexure P2 ), whereby the petitioner and the respondent no.2 have mutually and amicably resolved their disputes.

Issue notice. Learned APP for the State accepts notice and submits that he has no objection to the quashing of the aforesaid FIR.

Respondent no.2, present in Court, also accepts notice and affirms the terms of the aforesaid MoU dated 17.02.2026. She submits that in

This is a digitally signed order.

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compliance thereof out of the total settlement amount of Rs.19,50,000/-, the petitioner has already paid her the settlement amount of Rs.10,50,000/and a Demand Draft being DD No.065888 dated 09.04.2026 (State Bank of India, Lalsot Road, Dausa) of Rs.9,00,000/- has been handed over to her today as full and final settlement of all her present, past and future claims including alimony, maintenance, etc. She further submits that her marriage with the petitioner has since been dissolved by mutual consent under Section 13B(2) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1995 vide Decree dated 07.03.2026, and as such, she has no objection to the quashing of the aforesaid FIR.

The petitioner and the respondent no.2, present in Court, as well as their credentials as on record, have been identified by the Investigating Officer.

Facts disclose that a settlement has already been arrived voluntarily between the petitioner and the respondent no.2 and the present petition is accompanied by their respective affidavit(s) qua the said effect. In view thereof, they shall remain bound by all the terms and conditions of the settlement arrived inter se themselves. As such, following the law laid down by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Jitendra Raghuvanshi & Ors. vs. Babita Raguvanshi & Anr. : (2013) 4 SCC 58 , Gian Singh vs. State of Punjab & Anr. : (2012) 10 SCC 303 and Narinder Singh & Ors. vs. State of Punjab & Anr. : (2014) 6 SCC 466 , since there is nothing left to corroborate and prove the case of the prosecution, continuation of the aforesaid FIR against the petitioners will be an exercise in futility.

Thus, the present petition is allowed and FIR No.382/2024 dated 15.06.2024 registered at PS.: Rani Bagh, Delhi under Sections 406/498A

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 16/04/2026 at 12:34:46

of the IPC and all proceedings emanating therefrom are hereby quashed.

Accordingly, the present petition, alongwith the pending application, is disposed of in the aforesaid terms.

SAURABH BANERJEE, J.

APRIL 13, 2026 / bh

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 16/04/2026 at 12:34:46