India, Nov. 5 -- The Delhi high court has held that matrimonial discord and the anguish arising from a troubled marriage cannot justify implicating an entire family in criminal proceedings unless specific allegations and individual roles are attributed to the persons concerned.

A bench of justice Madhu Jain, in her verdict delivered on Wednesday, expressed concern over the tendencies to implicate the husband's relatives in matrimonial disputes through sweeping allegations of cruelty.

The judge said that criminal prosecution carries consequences that extend beyond the courtroom, impacting an individual's reputation, livelihood, and family life, and that the law must provide effective protection to women subjected to cruelty; it must also...