Legal provisions to deal with dowry demand and cruelty

• To avoid any kind of prosecution in future, the government has made it mandatory for couples to make list of gifts exchanged during the ceremonies of marriage. The list of gifts, in form of a sworn affidavit, has to be notarised, signed by a protection officer or a dowry prohibition officer and kept by both the parties, failing can lead to imprisonment for a term of 3 years, for both groom and bride and also their parents.
   
• A woman is protected from a man or his parents, if they inflict any kind of cruelty as under section 498-A of the Indian Penal Code 1860 and no court can take cognizance under section 498-A until and unless a police report has been made upon a complaint made by the distressed women or her parents.
   
• If a woman commits suicide within 7 years from the date of her marriage, the Court may presume that such suicide has been encouraged by her husband or his relatives for dowry as under section 304 B.

Related Law Guides

• Abuses faced for dowry demand