*Bengaluru, August 22* — The Karnataka High Court has quashed a complaint filed by a husband accusing his wife of attempting to murder him and his mother through black magic. The court’s decision was made by a single judge bench led by Justice M Nagaprasanna.The husband’s complaint, lodged on February 21, 2023, included allegations under sections 380, 411, 506, 307, 511, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, as well as Section 3 of the Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Act, 2017. The complaint was initially referred for further investigation by the Magistrate court but was challenged by the wife.Justice Nagaprasanna ruled that the Magistrate’s order referring the case for investigation was not conducted with adequate consideration, dismissing it as an attempt to address marital discord through serious accusations of black magic and theft. The court found the complaint to be a countermeasure against an earlier dowry harassment case filed by the wife, noting that the allegations were vague and lacked substantive evidence.The court criticized the husband’s claims, highlighting discrepancies such as the timing of the alleged theft and the lack of actionable evidence under the Black Magic Act. The complaint’s connection to earlier dowry harassment claims was seen as indicative of its frivolous nature.Additionally, the court quashed the complaint against the mother-in-law but allowed proceedings to continue against the husband for the dowry harassment case. This ruling emphasizes the need for genuine and substantiated claims in legal proceedings, particularly when invoking serious charges such as black magic.