Cruelty defined
AI Assist
Summary
Cruelty means wilful conduct likely to drive a woman to suicide or to cause grave injury or danger to her life, limb, or mental or physical health. It also covers harassment aimed at forcing the woman or her relatives to meet an unlawful demand for property or valuable security, or harassment because they failed such a demand. Such conduct qualifies as cruelty for legal action.
Example
Priya's husband repeatedly locks her in a room, threatens to kill her, and forces her to hand over family jewellery as security. The threats drive Priya to attempt suicide. Under this section, those wilful acts and the coercive demand for property amount to cruelty, so Priya has grounds for criminal action.
Bare Act
Enacted textFor the purposes of section 85, “cruelty” means:
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(a) any wilful conduct which is of such a nature as is likely to drive the woman to commit suicide or to cause grave injury or danger to life, limb or health (whether mental or physical) of the woman; or
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(b) harassment of the woman where such harassment is with a view to coercing her or any person related to her to meet any unlawful demand for any property or valuable security or is on account of failure by her or any person related to her to meet such demand.
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