How Successful Are Anti Dowry Laws?

In today's Indian society is the Anti-Dowry Law really helping people or have marriages today becoming another extortion racket?

Laws against domestic violence like Section 304B (pertaining to dowry death), Section 498A (wilful, mental and physical cruelty) and Section 460 (criminal breach of trust) have created quite a few controversies since their inception. Unfortunately, it is the educated masses of our society who always misuse certain Laws for their own benefit and the 'Dowry Law' is no exception.

Everybody knows that anti dowry laws are one of the strongest but some clever girls and their parents are using this Law to their benefit, if they feel that things are not going the way they want to. There have been instances where the bride's family has threatened the groom's family if things haven't gone their way. This has resulted in a number of innocent people suffering.

Many feel that article 498A of the Indian Penal Code has now become a blackmailer's law. It is being used to harass many innocent husbands. Even lawyers admit that over 60% of cases registered under 498A turn out to be false.



It time that the law is changed and punishment for these false accusations be made the same as that meted out to those who are really guilty of such acts.

What's most disturbing is that it isn't the uneducated, under-privileged women who are rushing to the cops. The new dowry 'victim' in urban India are girls from well to do families. She wants it all the house, car, jewels and if the man resists or refuses she goes to the nearest police station, with a long list of complaints. While the guy is left cursing his fate more often than not the woman gets away with a large chuck of finacial gains.

The anti dowry law has a number of loopholes and it is high time that our society wakes up and takes a strong note to ammend these one sided laws which are eventually breaking up our Indian marriage system.


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