The Supreme Court has ruled that a husband's financial dominance over his wife does not constitute cruelty under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code, especially without tangible mental or physical harm. A bench, led by Justice Nagarathna, quashed a dowry harassment case, describing the discord over household expenses as typical "daily wear and tear of marriage." The court emphasized that criminal litigation should not be used to settle personal scores and that allegations in matrimonial cases require careful scrutiny to prevent abuse of process.