DOWRY SYSTEM A RIVAL OFWOMEN

Women, an Angel sent to the earth by god. But it s a great doubt arise in many min
ds whether they are treated so in this world. The most powerful evidence to supp
ort this doubt is the practice of dowry system in India. In spite of modernizat
ion and the increasing role of women in all walks of life, the practice of the d
owry in India is becoming widespread, and the value of dowries is increasing. If
a bride s family fails to pay the amount of dowry demanded by the prospective gro
om s family, the bride will be cruelly treated by the in-laws, and in many cases w
ill be burnt to death. The dowry system is the curse to the women society.
Silenced by their culture large populations of women in India tolerate abuse and
subsequent death because they have provided insufficient dowry. In a culture th
at is male dominated women are raised to be servants to their husbands often arr
anged to marry a man that they have never met. Women that are beaten or just unh
appy must suppress their feelings to keep their husbands blissful or face shame
and be turned away by their own families.
Dowry has become a very common word and it is practiced in Indian society withou
t any inhibitions or ill feelings. Dowry is a payment from the bride s family to t
he groom or groom s family at the time of marriage. Upon marriage, daughters are g
iven all modern household gadgetry as dowry such as furniture, crockery, electri
cal appliances (in recent years refrigerators, television etc.) as well as perso
nal items of clothing, jewels and cash. Some parents also give a car among dowry
items. The amount of dowry depends upon the status of the groom. If the bride i
s not able to give the demanded dowry at the day of marriage, the grooms dare to
stop the marriage. The fact is that no good alliance can be made without offeri
ng the above-mentioned gifts. This system is paving way for the slavery of women
in the society.
The major reason for this dowry system is the society. If the groom is well qual
ified and if he doesn t get the dowry, the society will spread rumors about him or
his family. The rumors may start like that he is sick, he is suffering from any
sexual disease or even more damaging the characters of his family. So, the groo
ms don t dare to marry a bride without dowry. If the groom is very desirable then
he commands a very high dollar figure, if the offer of money is too low then the
groom's family will not accept it because it is an insult.

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Dowry System in Indian Marriages can be called the commercial aspect of the marr
iage. The practice of giving dowry was very common among all people of all natio
ns. A girl gets all the domestic utensils that are necessary to set up a family.
Dowry system in India was prevalent since the Vedic period. In Epic period gift
s from parents, brothers and relatives and relatives were recognized as woman`s
property - stridhan. According to Kautilya "Means of subsistence or jewellery co
nstitutes what is called the property of the woman. it is no guilt for a wife to
make use of this property in maintaining her son her daughter-in-law or herself
if her absent husband has made no provision for her maintenance".
Considering the evils of dowry system, the dowry prohibition Act 1961 was passed
in India. According to the Act if a person gives or takes dowry then he is liab
le to be punished for an imprisonment and fine. If a person demands directly or

indirectly dowry from the guardians o the wife after the marriage has been solem
nized then such a person is liable to be punished for an imprisonment of six mon
ths and a fine of Rs. 5000.
Today, in India both divorce and remarriage are completely legal, whereas polyga
my and polyandry are both criminal offences for Hindus, punishable by law. The I
slamic personal law of Sheriat allows up to four wives for a man, and it is lega
l for a Muslim to have multiple wives in India.
Marriage, a strong bond, a relationship between a man and a woman. It relies on
the pillars of love, complete trust and faith in the spouse. Marriages in India
are known with different names like Parinay, Shaadi, Vivah, Kalayanam, and Lagna
, etc
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Dowry system is a huge problem in India and has been a source of great disturban
ce and embarrassment in our society. Dowry is a cultural system where the parent
s of bride (girl) pay huge amounts of money, expensive gifts and jewellery to br
ide groom (boy) and his parents during marriage. Historically, it was a system o
f honoring a bride groom for his willingness to accept a girl for marriage. Earl
ier, this system was prevalent only among very wealthy families. Unfortunately,
greed of dowry has struck to most ordinary families in India. In the marriages o
f all levels of society, Dowry is usually an unspoken requirement. These bride g
rooms have been rated with dowry worth Millions of rupees. Depending on the soci
al status, education qualification and affluence of family the amount of Dowry c
an vary significantly. Infact many believe that a person who is not demanding th
e Dowry might have some faults in him, so that he cannot bargain for dowry. Lega
lly, dowry is a banned practice in India but it still happens all over the place
. Many educated and sensible youths have gone against the idea of Dowry and they
simply have a noble intention of marrying a girl without taking any money.
Dowry is usually a promise to give the money and wealth to the guy and his paren
ts. Later if the girl's parents cannot afford to give those things, the treatmen
t of their daughter at the guys home can get quite bad. She may get harassed eve
ryday because her parents were not able to give enough dowry.
It is true that a young man may require financial support to settle comfortably
in his life and to fulfill other needs. But it should not be a reason to ask for
dowry and to spoil the life of a girl. Gifts that a girl gets from her parents
home should solely be their wish and there should be no pressure to spend more w
hile marrying their daughter. There are many instances when a wife commits suici
de, because of her helplessness to tolerate the harassment for dowry. There are
many instances when a wife is murdered because her parents were not able to give
enough dowry. This murder is usually made like an accident.
Parents blindly promise good amount of dowry because of love and affection towar
ds their daughter. But the expenditure of marriage and other related expenses ma
ke them financially weak up to the extent they cannot afford to give the promise
d dowry. Because of dowry system, people no longer prefer having a baby girl in
India. Dowry system should be discouraged. The culture of buying and selling ite
ms as objects should never be accepted in our society.
Dowry law in India
Dowry was prohibited in 1961 under Indian civil law and followed by Sections 304
B and 498a of the Indian Penal Code. Individuals involved in dowry can be sent t
o jail for 6 months to 3 years. This includes husband, Father-In-Law, Mother-InLaw or any other relatives or non-relatives found guilty. It can also include fi
ne. But if a murder is committed then there is atleast a 7 year fine or life in
prison, plus fine.

Some people contact police, media organizations and women liberation outfits to
get maximum attention.
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Dowry is derived from the ancient Hindu customs of "kanyadan" and "stridhan". In
"kanyadan", the father of the bride offers the father of the groom money or pro
perty, etc. whereas for "stridhan", the bride herself gets jewelry and clothes a
t the time of her marriage, usually from her relatives or friends. In "varadaksh
ina", the father of the bride presents the groom cash or kind. All of these coul
d be done voluntarily and out of affection and love.
The Hindu marriage system is sacramental. According to this system, a marriage i
s forever, and there is no scope for a separation. Among the various ceremonies
previously practiced, the ceremony in front of a "godly" fire ("Yajna" in Sanskr
it) has taken over, the antiquated system of "marrying a wife by capture. This f
orm of marriage began the practice of dowry, where originally, the family of the
bride would accept gifts and money from the groom's (potential conqueror's) fam
ily as an alternative to bloodshed during the capture of the bride. A later modi
fication of this system has paved way for the present dowry system primarily pra
cticed by the society.
The dowry custom continues to rule society. In majority of Indian families the b
oy has inheritance rights while the girl is given a hefty sum at the time of her
marriage in lieu of the Government regulated equal rights for girls in parental
property. The evil of the dowry system has spread its tentacles in almost all p
arts of the country and sections of society. There are several reasons for the p
revalence of the dowry system, but the main one is that it is a necessary precon
dition for marriage. "No dowry, no marriage," is a widespread fear. There has al
so been an emergence of a feudal mindset with a materialistic attitude in a new
globalized economy. The price tag for the groom is now bigger and bolder. The em
ergence of an affluent middle class, the torchbearer of social change in modern
India, is the main factor for the perpetuation of the dowry system. Families arr
ange most marriages, and a man who does not marry for love learns he can marry f
or possessions. For this man, and his family, a woman becomes the ticket to shor
tcut riches through the system of dowry. There are a number of things people des
ire to have in their own houses but cannot afford; they use the opportunity of a
son's marriage to get them. The girl's parents do not protest against the blata
nt extravaganza, as they regard the alliance as a stepping-stone towards higher
social status and better matches for the remaining children. Dowry as a phenomen
on has gone beyond the ritual of marriage. Pregnancy, childbirth and all kinds o
f religious and family functions are occasions when such demands are made. A mor
e sophisticated public image of an extended gifting session has replaced the old
system. Now there is demand for receptions in marriage palaces. The trousseau i
ncludes designer wear for the bride and groom's family. Chefs are flown in for m
ulti-cuisine wedding dinners. The bride's family usually pays for all this. The
rich revel in the exchange of their black money, but this in turn exerts pressur
e on the other classes to ape them with serious social consequences. The women h
ave become a kind of commodity. It is them who are the worst sufferers because d
owry is most often a monetary agreement between two men - the bride's father and
the groom. Caste-based practices have only added fuel to the fire. Marriages in
political families are arranged to consolidate the caste base for support in el
ectoral politics, so they do not challenge the dowry system. Dowry rituals have
now spread even to communities where they were unknown. It has gone to different
castes, crossed the boundaries of provinces and education and religion. Muslims
and Christians, such as the Syrian Christians of Kerala and the Roman Catholics
of Mangalore have started demanding dowry.

Official statistics show a steady rise in dowry crimes. More than 9, 5000 women
are killed every year in India over dowry. Bihar and Uttar Pradesh still record
the maximum number of dowry crimes, but Bangalore, India's fastest growing city
also shows an alarming rise - four women reportedly die every day because of dow
ry harassment and domestic violence. The cases of dowry torture are the highest
accounting for 32.4% of crimes against women in the country.
The Dowry Prohibition Act, in force since 1st July 1961, was passed with the pur
pose of prohibiting the demanding, giving and taking of dowry. In 1980 the Gover
nment set up a committee which recommended amendments in the Dowry Prohibition A
ct and also suggested expanding the definition of dowry and instituting family c
ourts and National Commission for women. Many parliamentary debates led to some
amendments in 1983,1984 and 1986.To stop the offences of cruelty by husband or h
is relatives on the wife, Section 498-A was added in the Indian Penal Code and S
ection 198-A in the Criminal Procedure Code in the year 1983. The Dowry Prohibit
ion Act clearly stipulates that a person who gives or takes or helps in the givi
ng or taking of dowry can be sentenced to jail for 5 years and fined Rs.15, 000/
- or the amount of the value of dowry, whichever is more. The Act also prohibits
the giving and taking directly or indirectly any property or valuable security,
any amount either in cash of kind, jewelry, articles, properties, etc. in respe
ct of a marriage. The control is provided by stating a limit and names of gifter
s and their relationship to the married couple to be signed by both sides of par
ents. In 1986, the Act was amended again, empowering State governments to appoin
t Dowry Prohibition Officers, who not only had a preventive role but also had po
wers to collect evidence against people who took dowry.
Despite protest by women's organizations, serious activism, legal amendments, sp
ecial police cells for women, media support and heightened awareness of dowry be
ing a crime, the practice continues unabated on a massive scale. Despite every s
tigma, dowry continues to be the signature of marriage. Women need real social,
political, financial and moral support in their fight against the system. They h
ave to be empowered so that they can take their decisions about their own life b
y refusing the dowry system.
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Dowry is the cash, precious jewellery and other important thing given to the dau
ghter in her marriage. This evil is found in almost every community of India.
Many young women commit suicide because of this system. Their parents can not co
llect the required fund. To fulfill the demands of the girl s in laws they borrow
money or even sometimes they put their property on mortgage.
It has become truly difficult to find the suitable match for the girl without gi
ving the demanded dowry. Nowadays, marriage has become a kind of business and mi
suse of girls parents. The parents those boys are highly educated and getting ha
ndsome package demand enormous dowry for marriage of their son.
The demand of dowry is according to the qualification of the boy.
n there are broad minded people still the system of dowry has not
d. Marriages are longer the combination of hearts; it is just the
ss transaction. Even the rich parents of the boy do no feel shame
ry.

Even today whe

being abolishe
kind of busine
in begging dow

The system of dowry in India is a very serious matter and a black spot on the In
dian society. Except India the dowry system is not found in any other country.

From this it could be easily observed that the women are not treated equally and
fairly as men. After marriage also they are treated badly and harassed by her i
n laws for dowry. And still there is no end of it.
Dowry system is against the law of equality between man and woman. Today dowry i
s considered as the crime, both giving and taking. Thousands of cases has being
observed every year but only few of them put to court for punishment. Apart from
laws, steps should be taken for the abolishment of Dowry System. We should try
to involve as many as people as we can for the erasing dowry system. And this cr
ucial movement should be taken to each village and to every corner of the countr
y. The people those who practice Dowry System should be boycotted socially. Wome
n association should also take steps against dowry system.
Marriage registration should be made must. The entire country should participate
against such evil system. Girls should be preferred for the best education so t
hat they also understand theirs rights properly. More schools and colleges shoul
d be opened for the education and qualification of girls. And if require free ed
ucation should also be here.
This evil should be fought on both the levels of rules and society equally. A ve
ry enthusiastic party line and movement should be taken in to consideration for
the abolition of this evil system.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Dowry Prohibition (DP) Act
Introduced and taken up by then Indian law minister Ashoke Kumar Sen, this Act[4
] prohibits the request, payment or acceptance of a dowry, "as consideration for
the marriage". where "dowry" is defined as a gift demanded or given as a precon
dition for a marriage. Gifts given without a precondition are not considered dow
ry, and are legal. Asking or giving of dowry can be punished by an imprisonment
of up to six months, or a fine of up to Rs. 15000 or the amount of dowry whichev
er is higher and imprisonment up to 5 years. It replaced several pieces of antidowry legislation that had been enacted by various Indian states.
Section 4 of the said Act states:
4. Penalty for demanding dowry.- If any person demands, directly or indirect
ly, from the parents or other relatives or guardian of a bride or bridegroom, as
the case may be, any dowry, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term
which shall not be less than six months, but which may extend to two years and
with fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees.
Provided that the Court may, for a adequate and special reasons to be mentio
ned in the judgment, impose a sentence of imprisonment for a term of less than s
ix months.[5]
However, as per section 3 of the Act,[6] both the giver and the receiver are sou
ght to be punished.
3. Penalty for giving or taking dowry.- [(Note: Section 3 re-numbered as sub
-section (1) thereof by Act No.63 of 1984, sec.3) (1)] If any person, after the
commencement of this Act, gives or takes or abets the giving or taking of dowry,
he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less tha
n [(Note: Subs. by Act 43 of 1986, Sec.3) five years, and with fine which shall
not be less than fifteen thousand rupees or the amount of the value of such dowr
y, whichever is more:]

Provided that the Court may, for a adequate and special reasons to be record
ed in he judgment, impose a sentence of imprisonment of a term of less than [(No
te: Subs. by Act 43 of 1986, Sec.3) five years.]
(2) [(Note: Ins. by Act 63 of 1984, sec.3) Nothing is sub section (1) shall
apply to, or in relation to, (a) Presents which are given at the time of a marriage to the bride (without
any demand having been made in that behalf).
(b) Presents which are given at the time of a marriage to the bridegroom (wi
thout any demand having been made in that behalf).
Provided that such presents are entered in a list maintained in accordance w
ith the rules made under this Act.
Provided further that where such presents are made by or on behalf of the br
ide or any person related to the bride, such presents are of a customary nature
and the value thereof is not excessive having regard to the financial status of
the person by whom, or on whose behalf, such presents are given.
This is the only law that changes sex of all the feminine of the boy family to s
ome other sex, and therefore there are not treated as women anymore.
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.....--------------conclusion

Dowry system is as old as man is. The dowry system is a social evil. It is preva
lent in all parts of India and almost in all the countries of the world.In India
many of the traditional customs have been given up, but the custom of dowry has
not only continued, but flourished over the years. Even in the old age the dowr
y system was in vogue and dowry was used as means for striking a good match. In
due course dowry became an integral part of the marriage institution and is gene
rally accepted by the society as necessarily evil.
he custom of dowry has become widespread. Even before the marriage, the amount t
o be given as dowry is discussed and settled with the change of time. The conten
ts of dowry have undergone a great change. The boy's parents openly demand money
and other items which include car, scooter, fridge, colour T.V. etc.
The rate of dowry changes according to the qualification of the boy. There are "
rates" fixed for I.A.S.,
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I.P.S., P.C.S., I.E.S. officers and qualified engineers and doctors. In fact, a
regular marriage cannot be held and a marriage without dowry is almost unthinkab
le. Hence the custom has become a curse particularly for those parents who are e
ither poor or unfortunate because they have several daughters.
Hardly is there a day when one does not read of dowry deaths in the national dai
ly newspapers. Brides bringing less than expected dowry are ill treated by their
in-laws and other relatives. Many of them cannot bear it any more and commit su
icide. Those who do not have enough courage to do so, are burnt alive by their h

usbands and the in-laws.

Now and then voices have been raised against this evil custom. Even the social r
eformers like Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Dayanand tried their best to create a social
consciousness against this practice. Also, the Dowry Prohibition Act was passed
in 1961, but it has not made any difference. Laws never succeed in eradicating
social evils.