E-Paper
HC grants interim protection to serving Indian Statistical Service officer in Solan FIR over matrimonial dispute
Petitioner seeks quashing of an FIR registered when her husband was SP Solan; cites contradictory claims over jewellery and pending matrimonial litigation
Prefer HTon Google
The Himachal Pradesh high court has granted interim protection from coercive action to a serving Indian Statistical Service officer in a criminal case registered at Solan Sadar police station on a complaint by her mother-in-law, amid a matrimonial dispute involving her husband, who was serving as superintendent of police, Solan, at the time.
The court, in an order dated October 16, directed the state not to take coercive action against the woman officer in the FIR registered on May 18, 2025, under Sections 305, 331(3), 351(2) and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The officer had approached the high court seeking the quashing of the FIR and consequential criminal proceedings. The petition alleges that the case was registered under the influence of her husband, an IPS officer, who was then serving as the SP of Solan.
A single-judge bench of justice Chirag Bhanu Singh issued notice to the respondents on October 16. Deputy advocate general Prashant Sharma, appearing for the state, accepted notice and was granted two weeks to file a reply. Notices were also issued to the IPS officer and his mother.
The matter has been listed for November 17.
According to the petition, the woman officer married the IPS officer on February 16, 2023. The petition states that matrimonial differences developed between the couple and alleges domestic violence and dowry-related demands by her husband and his family.
The petition states that a divorce petition was filed by her husband on December 23, 2024, before the family court in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The Supreme Court, on October 8, 2025, shifted the case from Agra to the family court in Jaipur.
She alleges that when she visited her matrimonial home in Solan on December 31, 2024, she was assaulted by her husband on the night of January 1, 2025, and he threatened to kill her using his service firearm. The woman subsequently filed a domestic violence complaint before the Jaipur court on February 10, 2025. The FIR under challenge was lodged by the IPS officer’s mother, on May 18, 2025, invoking provisions related to theft, trespass and intentional insult.
