Dowry Death - A Curse For Our Society



The degradation of society due to the pernicious (working or spreading in a hidden) system of dowry and the unconscionable (outrageous) demands made by the greedy and unscrupulous (without principles) husbands and their parents and relatives resulting in an alarming number of suicidal and dowry death by woman has shocked legislative conscience to such an extent that the legislative has deemed it necessary to provide additional provisions of law, procedural as well as substantive, to combat the evil.

  • There has been an alarming increase in cases relating to harassment, torture, abetted, suicides and dowry death of young innocent brides.
  • It is cult of our civilized society.
  • There is a constant erosion of the basic Human Values of tolerance and the spirit of 'live and let live'.
  • Lack of education and economic dependence of women have encouraged the greedy preparation of crime.
  • It is more disturbing and sad that in most such reported cases, it is women who plays a pivotal role in this crime against the younger women, with the husband either acting as a mute spectator or even an active perpetration in the crime.
  • The educated youth is grossly insensitive to the evil of dowry and unashamedly contributes to its perpetration.


Section 304B - INDIAN PENAL CODE, 1860


  1. Where the death of a women is caused by any burns or bodily injury or occurs otherwise than under normal circumstances within seven years of her marriage and it is shown that soon before her death she was subjected to cruelty or harassment by her husband or any relative of her husband for or in connection with, any demand for dowry, such death shall be called 'dowry death', and such husband or relative shall be demand to have caused her death.
  • For the purpose of this section dowry have the same meaning as in section 2 of Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.
Section 2 ---- 

Dowry means any property or valuable security given or agreed to be given either directly or indirectly ----- 

 (i) by one part to a marriage to the other party to the marriage.
 (ii) by the parents of either party to a marriage or by any other person, to either party to the marriage or to any other person. 
  •  Does not include dower or maher in the case of persons to whom the Muslim Person/Law   applies.
     2.Punishment -- Whoever commits dowry death shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than seven years but which may extend to imprisonment for life.

      3. Comments --
  • As we know and listen from our childhood till today that Marriages are made in heaven. But, in-laws, husband and relatives are being increasingly involved in the breaking of weddings for lust of dowry and these lust create dowry death like, murder, suicide and bride-burning. These are the symptoms of particular social illness.
  • During the last few decades India has witnessed the black evils of the dowry system in a more acute form in almost all parts of the country since.
  • It is done by almost every section of the society.
  • Offences under the Act made cognizable offences, non-bailable and non-compoundable.
  • It is almost a matter of day-to-day occurrence that married women are harassed humiliated, beaten and forced to commit suicide, tortured and ill treated and because these married women commit suicide within seven years of marriage and these case would fall within the ambit of section 306, Indian Penal Code (Abetment to suicide).
  • The nature of the dowry offences that are generally committed in the privacy of residential homes and in secrecy, independent and direct evidence necessary for conviction is not easy to get.
  • The period of seven years has been considered cut-off period for the reason that a marriage is complete. The period of seven year has also been fixed for bigamy under section 494 of Indian Penal Code.
  • In dowry death, if murder is done b cruelty then punishment for murder section 302, Indian Penal Code is also hit in dowry death.
Links-- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dowry_death
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thequint.com/amp/story/news%252Findia%252Fcrime-rises-in-india-according-to-ncrb#ampshare=https://www.thequint.com/news/india/crime-rises-in-india-according-to-ncrb

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