Gurugram, Aug. 17 -- A district court has admitted a Rs.1.80 crore damages suit filed by a UK-based man against his former wife, who had earlier accused him in a false dowry case. Delivered on August 13, 2025, by civil judge (senior division) Manish Kumar, the ruling is being viewed as a significant relief for husbands entangled in prolonged litigation from false matrimonial disputes. The plaintiff, Gurusharam Lal Awasthi, had been acquitted of charges under Sections 498A (cruelty), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, first by a lower court in 2016 and later by a sessions court in 2018. Following his acquittal, Awasthi filed a civil suit against his ex-wife for malicious prosecution, citing financial losses and personal suffering during the 16-year legal battle. Awasthi was granted a divorce by a UK court in 2020. However, neither party sought recognition of the decree in India. To be sure, under Indian law, a foreign divorce is not automatically valid unless both parties submit to the foreign court's jurisdiction and the grounds are recognised under Indian matrimonial law. In the absence of such recognition, the marriage continues to subsist before Indian courts. On August 13, the ex-wife opposed the damages suit, arguing it was not maintainable as an appeal against Awasthi's acquittal was still pending in the high court. Her counsel also claimed the mandatory court fee had not been deposited. Rejecting these objections, the court held that pendency of a revision petition does not nullify an acquittal and clarified that a tentative court fee is permissible in cases of unliquidated damages. "The plaint prima facie discloses a cause of action for malicious prosecution," judge Kumar observed, adding that claims of the suit being "false and concocted" could only be examined during trial. The matter has been adjourned to November 20, 2025, for filing of a written statement. "My marriage lasted only seven days, but I spent 40 days in jail and 16 years fighting cases. They demanded Rs.1.20 crore to settle the matter, but I chose to fight,"Awasthi said.htc...