Supreme Court ruling in dowry case: Underscoring the critical importance of timely reporting in criminal cases, particularly those arising out of matrimonial disputes, the Supreme Court has ruled that an unexplained delay of six years in filing a complaint can be fatal to the prosecution’s case.

A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan was hearing criminal proceedings against a woman’s sister-in-law and parents-in-law in a dowry harassment case, setting aside a December 18, 2023, order of the Allahabad High Court.

“We find that the citizens who allege commission of an offence should not dawdle on their rights but should rather pursue them in real time in order to achieve the ends of justice as vigilantibus non dormientibus jura subveniunt meaning, law protects those who are vigilant about their rights,” the Supreme Court said on March 25.