Supreme Court Upholds Singular Right of Women Over Streedhan

The Supreme Court stated that the aim of criminal proceedings is to ensure justice, not revenge. Justices addressed a case where Padala Veerabhadra Rao accused his daughter's in-laws of withholding streedhan. The court reiterated that women have sole rights over streedhan, and invalidated Rao's claims.

The Supreme Court emphasized on Thursday that the purpose of criminal proceedings is to achieve justice, not to seek revenge. This statement was made by a bench comprising Justices JK Maheshwari and Sanjay Karol while addressing a criminal breach of trust case involving a man from Telangana, Padala Veerabhadra Rao, accusing his daughter's former in-laws of not returning her streedhan.

Streedhan refers to the gifts, including money and property, that a woman receives from her parents, relatives, or in-laws. The bench reiterated that a female has the 'singular right' and sole authority over her streedhan. They clarified that neither the husband nor the father has any right over it when the daughter is alive and capable of making decisions about her possessions.

Rao's complaint included allegations of torture faced by his daughter in the USA, leading to his wife's death and resulting in a divorce. He also claimed the in-laws didn't return the streedhan. However, the court found no evidence supporting these allegations and concluded that Rao's claims were not legally valid, quashing the proceedings against the former in-laws.

(With inputs from agencies.)