Actress Hansika Motwani moves Bombay High Court to quash Section 498A case by sister-in-law

Actress Hansika Motwani and her mother Jyoti Motwani have approached the Bombay High Court seeking to quash a cruelty case filed against them under Section 498A of Indian Penal Code (IPC) by Hansika's sister-in-law, Muskan James..A Bench consisting of Justice Sarang Kotwal and Justice SM Modak issued notice on their plea on Thursday and scheduled the matter for further hearing on July 3..Muskan James, a TV actress, married Hansika's brother, Prashant Motwani, in December 2020. However, the couple decided to part ways in December 2022.In December 2024, an FIR was lodged against Hansika, Jyoti and Prashant Motwani by Muskan, accusing them of offences under Sections 498A (cruelty to wife), 323 (causing hurt), 504 and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.Hansika and Jyoti secured anticipatory bail from the Mumbai Sessions Court in February 2025.Subsequently, the mother-daughter duo filed the present petition before the High Court seeking quashing of the FIR.According to Hansika, the FIR against her stems from malice after she demanded her brother and James to pay back ₹27 lakh that she had loaned to them during their wedding.The said amount was used to pay wedding planners but neither James nor her husband (Hansika's brother) returned the said money, it has been alleged..According to the plea, the criminal prosecution against her is an exaggerated response to a matrimonial dispute between James and her husband and should be quashed. "The allegations against the petitioner are baseless, motivated, and arise out of domestic disputes that have been exaggerated to bring them under the purview of criminal prosecution." Hansika has claimed that she had no direct involvement in the alleged marital issues between Muskan James and her husband Prashant and that she was roped in solely because she is Prashant's sister. "The FIR appears to be a retaliatory measure aimed at pressuring the petitioner and her family into a financial settlement in the ongoing matrimonial dispute," the plea has contended.As per the petition, the FIR was filed after James refused to agree to a mutual divorce, suggesting that the criminal proceedings are being misused as "leverage in the ongoing matrimonial litigation"..Hansika's petition was filed through advocate Drishti Khurana while Jyoti's was filed through advocate Adnan Shaikh.