I have suffered years of psychological abuse, isolation from family, monitoring of my phone and constant belittling by my husband. There are no visible injuries or physical violence. Will the police register a criminal complaint based purely on mental harassment and what evidence should I collect before approaching them?
A wife can file a criminal complaint for mental harassment without physical violence, and this is one of the most important protections Indian law offers, since abuse is rarely limited to physical acts alone. Under Section 85/86 BNS and the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, mental harassment including verbal abuse, emotional manipulation, threats, and persistent humiliation is squarely recognised as cruelty, meaning a wife can file a criminal complaint for mental harassment without physical violence being present at all.
The key is establishing a pattern of conduct that a reasonable person would find harmful to mental wellbeing, which courts assess through witness testimony, messages, medical or counselling records, and the overall context of the marriage. It's important not to wait for the situation to escalate physically before seeking legal protection — the law is designed to intervene earlier, at the emotional harm stage.
For help documenting your experience and filing correctly, our legal experts at Aapka Legal Advice can guide you through both the criminal complaint and any accompanying protection order application under the DV Act. Our panel of retired judges and our network of Top Criminal Lawyers in India have handled numerous such cases and understand exactly how to present emotional harm persuasively before the court.