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Sunday, February 22, 2026
TopicCruelty

Topic: Cruelty

20 dowry deaths a day, but conviction for 1 in 6—a tale of evidentiary hurdles, delayed trials, apathy

NCRB data pegs conviction rate in cases of dowry-related violence at 11-17%. Experts say the low rates are rooted in a mix of factors, including institutional indifference.

‘Cooling period’ & scrutiny by district panel. SC upholds 2022 safeguards against misuse of 498A IPC

‘Cooling period’ & scrutiny by district panel. SC upholds 2022 safeguards against misuse of 498A IPC

‘Self-pleasure not forbidden fruit’ & wife watching porn not grounds for divorce, says Madras HC

HC rejects divorce plea that private masturbation constituted cruelty, says 'when masturbation among men acknowledged as universal, masturbation by women cannot be stigmatised'.

What is ‘cruelty’ in marriage? No clear definition by courts but meaning has broadened over time

Understanding of the term is still affected by parties’ gender, lifestyle, financial standing, educational background, cultural practices and social mores, according to legal experts.

Chhattisgarh HC says alcoholism ground for divorce under Hindu Marriage Act — ‘can amount to cruelty’

Court was hearing a woman’s appeal against a family court’s refusal to grant her divorce from husband whose neglect, she says, ranged from assault to not paying their kids' school fees.

Cruelty by husbands and their relatives makes up one-third of crimes against women in India: MoSPI

India recorded 22.8 lakh crimes against women between 2016 to 2021, of which about 7 lakh, or 30 per cent, were under Section 498A of IPC, says MoSPI report, released this month.

Allahabad HC’s sweeping order in dowry case shows why women don’t get justice against cruelty

In a case of cruelty and dowry harassment, the Allahabad High Court rebuked the woman for the graphical description of the allegations and said decent expressions should be used.

Carrying on accepting Modi now means accepting cruelty

Suggesting that the pandemic is the work of an ‘unseen enemy’ that the government is hapless against is but an admission that the State has failed.

On Camera

Nick Jonas wearing a mangalsutra is validation for many Indians. He’s our favourite jiju

Nick Jonas is not trying to modernise the mangalsutra, but his gesture shows that choices can be equal. If commitment must be flaunted, it need not be gendered.

In the West, there’s anxiety. In India, optimism—Rishi Sunak says India poised to be leader in AI

On Wednesday, the former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was speaking in New Delhi at a Carnegie & Observer Research Foundation event on AI.

In a first, Indian small arms maker to bid for UK Project Grayburn to replace British Army’s SA80 rifles

Bengaluru-based SSS Defence has made public its bid for a major foreign military contract, targeting UK’s ambitious SA80 successor programme with its home-tested weapons.

No country is ever fully sovereign. Cold War era taught India its real meaning

India’s fraught neighbourhood places multiple constraints on its strategic choices. It leaves no time to take a deep breath, lean back and reset.