Shaurabh Kumar Tripathi v. Vidhi Rawal , SC CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 2689 OF 2025
In this Supreme Court judgment, the key issue was whether High Courts can invoke their inherent powers under Section 482 of the CrPC (or Section 528 of BNSS) to quash proceedings under Section 12(1) of the Domestic Violence Act, 2005. The Court clarified that although proceedings under the DV Act are civil in nature, Magistrates handling such matters are Criminal Courts under the CrPC. Therefore, High Courts do have jurisdiction under Section 482 to quash such proceedings. However, this power must be used sparingly and only in cases of gross abuse of process or manifest injustice
