DOWRY: A SOCIAL CURSE AND ITS LEGAL REMEDIES

Dowry is a social evil nobody can say from which date that social evil prevail in our society. In ancient time there was eight forms of marriage prevail in our society out of these eight forms of marriage four forms of marriage were approved forms and other four were unapproved forms. In approved forms of marriage gift is given as a symbol of love and affection, with the time the position of gift went on changing adversely and consequently evil dowry spread his branches in the society. To abolish this dowry evil practice on the society from 1961 the Dowry Prohibition Act is in force and later on the amendment takes place in 1986. According to section 3 of D.P. Act any person who takes or gives of abets the giving of dowry is liable to be punished. Accordingly to section4 of the Act discourages the very demand consideration for a marriage between the parties. The India penal code 1860 contains two specific provisions in the form of section 304 B and section 498 A to deal with two distinct offences namely causing of dowry death and subjecting a woman to cruelty for dowry respectively. Section 113 A of the  Indian Evidence Act says that when married women commit suicide within a period of seven years from the date her marriage the court may presume that such suicide is abetted by the husband or his relation.