PRAYAGRAJ, Oct. 11 -- The Allahabad high court has quashed an FIR pertaining to cruelty and dowry harassment, observing that general and omnibus allegations cannot justify the continuation of criminal proceedings in a short-term marriage.

The court said if every distressed or failed marriage is routinely converted into an FIR and subjected to the coercive machinery of criminal law, the institution of marriage will inevitably be affected at its core.

A division bench comprising Justice Chandra Dhari Singh and Justice Tarun Saxena passed the order while allowing a writ petition filed by Gaurav Jain and his family. The high court quashed the FIR registered in 2025 against the petitioners at Hari Parvat police station, Agra.

The court, how...