Frustrated over wife's dowry charge, man serves tea wearing handcuffs at stall

In a protest against alleged dowry harassment and legal injustice, Rajasthan man, Krishna Kumar Dhakad opened a unique tea stall in Rajasthan's Anta town — right in front of his in-laws' locality. The name of the stall is equally eye-catching: '498A T Caf', referencing the section under which his wife filed a dowry harassment case against him. Dhakad serves tea while wearing handcuffs, a symbol of the pain and humiliation he says he has endured over the last three years.advertisementBanners and posters around his tea stall read slogans like 'Jab tak nahi milta nyay, tab tak ubalti rahegi chai' (Until I get justice, the tea will keep boiling) and 'Aao chai par karein charcha, 125 mein kitna dena padega kharcha', alluding to the IPC sections 498A and 125 under which cases have been filed against him.
Dhakad married Meenakshi Malav in 2018. Together, they started a beekeeping business, empowering local women and gaining recognition. Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan even inaugurated their honey enterprise in 2021 as a symbol of women's empowerment.
However, in 2022, Krishna's wife allegedly left their home without warning and returned to her parents' house. Months later, she filed cases against Krishna under Section 498A (dowry harassment) and Section 125 (maintenance) of the IPC.
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'Everything has been destroyed because of a false case. For the last three years, I've been wandering from court to court in Anta for justice. I have an old mother who depends on me. I live under a tin shed and have nothing left. Many times I thought of ending my life, but then I remembered I am my mother's only support,' Krishna told India Today's sister channel Aaj Tak..Krishna says, 'I have decided that I will fight this legal battle impartially by selling tea in the very area where I was trapped by misuse of the law.He travels from Neemuch's Athana — nearly 220 km away — to Anta regularly for court hearings. 'Every time I go to court, all I get is tareekh pe tareekh (adjournment after adjournment). Justice seems nowhere in sight. Now I am tired and have decided to fight this legal war by running a tea stall in Anta,' he added.However, his wife Meenakshi Malav alleged, 'He asked for money from my father to buy land. When we refused, he beat me up. I then returned to my father's house. I'm ready for a divorce, but first, all the loans taken in my name must be repaid.'advertisementThe story of Krishna Dhakad and his Caf has gone viral on social media.
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