India, Nov. 8 -- The Bombay High Court on Tuesday held that a husband cannot be convicted of charges of cruelty merely based on statements from the wife's parents that she was "unhappy and often used to weep a lot". The court was hearing a case where a woman died by suicide in November 1997, and her parents filed a complaint against her husband and mother-in-law for allegedly harassing her and driving her to suicide.

The single judge bench of justice MM Sathaye noted that apart from the case of the woman being unhappy and crying during interactions with her parents , there is no other specific incidence of physical or mental cruelty stated by any of the witnesses. "Mere statements that the deceased daughter used to be unhappy and used to...