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New Delhi: Would-be grooms and future in-laws will face the charge of demanding dowry if a proposed marriage fails to be solemnised because the girl's parents couldn't meet their demands, the Supreme Court of India has ruled.
Adding teeth to the anti-dowry legislation, the apex court said it's not necessary that the law applies only when the marriage has taken place, but that it becomes active the moment two parties start a dialogue for marriage.
"The definition of the expression 'dowry' in section 2 of the Dowry (Prohibition) Act cannot be confined merely to 'demand of money, property, or valuable security' made at or after the performance of marriage," a bench of justices Arijit Pasayat and Asok
Kumar Ganguly said.
The bench said "demand" of money, property, or valuable security made to the "[would-be] bride or her parents or other relatives by the bridegroom or his parents or other relatives or vice-versa would fall within the mischief of 'dowry' under the Act" even if the demand "is not properly referable to any legally recognised claim and is relatable only to the consideration of marriage".
The court held that "marriage in would include a proposed marriage", particularly when the "non-fulfilment of the demand of dowry leads to the ugly consequence of the marriage not taking place at all".
The ruling, which widens the scope of the dowry prohibition law, came in an appeal filed by a "husband", Koppisetti Subbarao alias Subramaniam, saying he couldn't be charged with cruelty for demanding dowry as he had never married the woman who made the charge.
The SC rejected Subbarao's plea that the "victim woman" should establish that she was his legally married wife. It wondered if "a person who enters into a marital arrangement (should) be allowed to take shelter behind a smokescreen.
"Such legalistic niceties would destroy the purpose of the anti-dowry law provisions (and) would encourage harassment" of a woman over money, the bench said.
The SC said it would be appropriate to construe the expression "husband" to cover a person who enters into a marital relationship and under "such proclaimed or feigned status" subjects the woman to "cruelty" under sections 304B or 498A IPC, "whatever be the legitimacy of the marriage itself".
Those people had seen the dark side of biased 498a/Dv act allready know the pain of the same and well come this as a great move to make wake up the society and LAW makers. Offten we seen the unmarried guys overlook the danger of such law, where the assumption that the verbal alligations of a women to be treated as true , till the accused not proved his innocence, which is against any natural Criminla Justice System, but our Law makers overlooked the same long time and made more and more duplications of law , which converted the whole Criminal Justice system as free Money earning System through legal extrotion/ blackmailling.
A Great Judgement to expose the biased law and promotion of misuse , which the same Supreme court earlier said , it "Unlash Legal Terrorism" and Goverment must take some step to prevent it.
As Goverment had not taken any action to stop such Legal Terrorism and no preventive actions to remove the Cancer of Misus of Dowry law, where the verbal statement of a women to be Presumed as True ( as no women lie as all women born in Raja Harish Chandra family) , this is work wonder fully and those advocate or doing the dram in last 60 years in the name of anti-dowry law, will be wake up.
What you have to do , find a women let it be 18 years or 80 years , you are eligable to file a 498A or 304B to any Tom/Dick/Hary along with her sister/mother/grand mothers also.
The case should not stop there itslef, it will be followed by Maintance and allomeny act also alongwith crpc125/Section24/Domestic Violence act/ Adultrity act also ( Adultrity is a crime for Husabnd, not for wife). Though you have not married , but you will be termed as Husband and you have to face all the cases waht a Husband face.
As we continously demanding , replace the word Husband/wife to Spouse and Men/women word with Person to avoid any descriminations , we stick with that and also well come the proposal of Supreme court of India to replacing the word " Husband" to "Person" and let all the unmarried guy also face the reality of Such Legal Terrorism of India in the form of 498A/304B so called dowry death.
Any law on assumption based and with the pricipal the verbal statement of a complin to be presumed to be as True , will ensure more and more misue of law and extroion business , as unfortunately god had not created a single women , who do not lie in this world.
So , now the Supreme court had sifted the responsibility to LAW makers , you had make the loopsided law and we will not take any corrective actions, let millions of innocent people suffered in misue of such law.
You made this law, you answer the people , if they suffer.
Law makers should understand : " Injustice some where is a Direct Threat to Every where."
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Disclimer :This is totally writer personnel Views only. You may have different opinion. The name and place changed to protect the Persons Identity. | 