Reversal of administrative forum shopping in matrimonial disputes

Attempting to shift criminal trials to metropolitan magistrates under the guise of local bias or safety threats often amounts to an indirect form of forum shopping designed to wear down the opposite party. Higher judiciary must remain vigilant against litigants who exploit judicial channels to relocate proceedings away from the natural forum where the cause of action arose. Upholding such unjustified transfer requests inflicts systemic prejudice on wives burdened with childcare and limited financial resources. Correcting these jurisdictional errors at the apex level reinforces the principle that litigation should be conducted where it imposes the least avoidable hardship on the vulnerable party. Reversing improper transfers restores the statutory competence of local judicial magistrates to handle domestic violence and related criminal complaints. Thus, judicial policy firmly discourages unwarranted inter-district transfers in matrimonial criminal proceedings. (Prasanna Kasini v. The State of Telangana & Anr. | 2026 INSC 30)