Supreme Court Orders IPS Officer to Apologize
An IPS officer has been asked to issue an unconditional public apology to her former husband and in-laws for the “physical and mental agony” they underwent after she filed multiple criminal cases against them during a marital dispute. The Supreme Court directed this action and also cancelled all the ongoing cases.
Court’s Decision and Ruling
The Bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice AG Masih decided to dissolve the marriage, citing the separation of the couple since 2018. It was ordered that their daughter would reside with her mother, allowing the husband and family members to visit her.
The verdict highlighted that the husband and his father had been incarcerated for 109 and 103 days respectively due to the cases initiated by the wife. The court expressed that the sufferings they endured were immeasurable and instructed the officer to issue a public apology.
The judges mandated, “The woman and her parents must offer an unconditional apology to her husband and his family, to be published in a national English and a Hindi newspaper.”
Publication on Social Media
Furthermore, the apology was required to be disseminated on various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube within three days of the court’s order. The court clarified that the apology did not indicate an admission of guilt and would not impact any legal rights or obligations.
The court also cautioned the woman against misusing her position or authority, as well as advising the husband not to exploit the apology for any purpose.
Initially, the woman had filed criminal cases against her husband and his family alongside a divorce and maintenance case in the family court. In response, the husband had also lodged counter-cases. Additionally, third parties had filed cases in connection to the dispute.
Both spouses sought to transfer the cases to their respective jurisdictions by submitting an application to the Supreme Court.
