Abuses faced for dowry demand

 
If you have been suffering from any kind of harassment or abuse from your husband or in-laws, there are various provisions in law that you can use to protect yourself. The crimes related to dowry are committed in complete secrecy inside the house, so it is important for you to know how you can protect yourself from such abuse.

• Cruelty- If your husband tortures or harasses you, which could be in the form of verbal or physical abuse to fulfil his demand for money or any other valuable property.
   
• Domestic violence- If your husband or in-laws subject you to any kind of violence that may be physical, emotional or economical, it is an act of domestic violence.
   
• Abetment to suicide- If the acts of your husband and in-laws are such that encourage you or assist you to commit suicide, it shall amount to abetment of suicide.
   
• Dowry death- If a woman is murdered, burned or driven to suicide by continuous harassment and torture by husband and in-laws in order to extract money or other valuables in the form of dowry, it will be referred to as a dowry death. This usually happens when the wife is unable to bear the torture and ends up hanging herself or consumes poison or is set ablaze on fire. The minimum punishment for dowry death is 7 years but the court may award higher sentences.

• Death of the wife (murder or suicide).
• Death caused should be non- natural e.g. burning, strangulation, poisoning, bodily injury or hanging.
• Death within 7 years of marriage.
• Wife must have been subjected to cruelty or harassment by her husband or any relative of her husband.
• Such cruelty or harassment resulted in the death of the wife.

• Wife’s family members or
• Any legal representative, if assigned by the deceased wife, or
• Any person who knows of the offence can give the complaint.

1. File an FIR.
2. If the police officer refuses to file your FIR, send it directly to the Superintendent of Police (in person/post).
3. Mention all facts, names and addresses of the accused husband and his family members clearly in your FIR.
4. Do not forget to mention the motive behind the dowry death, such as property involved or for cash /kind.
5. Mention the names of the witnesses for the death, if any.
6. Hire a well experienced lawyer to get best legal assistance during the court proceedings.

 

Related Law Guides

• Legal provisions to deal with dowry demand and cruelty