Dowry Death and Law- in India

Abstract

Dowry death is a burning issue of the Indian society since years. The unnatural death of newly  married  young  woman  due  to  dowry  is  routine  headline  of  every  newspaper and television news. Protection of young married women against harassment and cruelty on account of dowry is responsibility of government. There are some laws for such crime in India.  Ban of giving and taking dowry - the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, is the one which is most commonly challenged since its commencement all over the country. To deal with this section 304 - B (Dowry deaths) and 498 - A (Cruelty by husband or in-laws) were incorporated in the Indian Penal code in the mid 1980's. Improvement of educational status of females and society willing for dowry by educational cum awareness programs along with severe punishments to offenders will be helpful to deal with this social crime.