The Supreme Court of India quashed criminal proceedings under Section 498A IPC in Belide Swagath Kumar v. State of Telangana & Another, holding that a husband sending money to his parents or asking his wife to track household expenses does not amount to cruelty. The case arose from an FIR filed by the wife after the husband issued a legal notice seeking restitution of conjugal rights. The wife alleged dowry demands, financial control, and mental harassment. The Court noted that both parties were software engineers, financially independent, and the allegations were vague, omnibus, and unsupported by specific instances of cruelty or dowry demand. The Court observed that complaints relating to maintaining expense records, remitting money to parents, or marital discord fall within the ordinary wear and tear of married life. Such conduct, without evidence of grave mental or physical harm or dowry-linked harassment, does not satisfy the ingredients of Section 498A IPC. Financial dominance alone, the Court clarified, cannot be criminalised. Applying the Bhajan Lal principles, the Court held that continuation of criminal proceedings would amount to an abuse of process of law. It cautioned against misuse of matrimonial laws as tools for retaliation or pressure. Accordingly, the FIR and all consequential proceedings were quashed, reaffirming that criminal law must not be invoked for routine marital disagreements.