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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Wedding cost cap to fight dowry-Ananya Sengupta

Wedding cost cap to fight dowry-Ananya Sengupta

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published Published on Apr 19, 2012   modified Modified on Apr 19, 2012

A government panel has recommended an income-linked cap on marriage expenses as part of amendments to curb dowry harassment.

“Introduction of ceilings in terms of percentage of income on gifts and marriage expenditure needs to be considered. A limit should also be put on marriage expenditure in terms of food,” the high-powered Planning Commission panel on women empowerment has said.

The panel, made up of senior officials of the women and child development ministry, has suggested a review of the Dowry Prohibition Act so there is greater clarity on the provisions related to definition of dowry and penalties.

“Twenty-eight years after the law relating to dowry was extensively amended, the incidence of dowry death continues to grow,” the panel said. The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, was amended in 1984 and renamed the Dowry Prohibition (Amendment) Act, 1984.

The wedding expense ceiling has been flagged as one of the panel’s key proposals. “This recommendation will go a long way to ensure the family of the girl is not harassed for dowry. If there is a cap, there will be a clear indication on what amounts to dowry. Basically, it means making it mandatory for people to spend according to their means,” said Abhishekh Nath, a lawyer dealing with dowry cases.

The proposals have not come a moment too soon. Only on Sunday, a 23-year-old Delhi girl walked out midway through her wedding after the groom demanded Rs 5 lakh, and filed a police complaint demanding compensation for the losses suffered by her family because of the cancellation.

But the problem is that only a handful of such cases are reported. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), while 7,618 dowry deaths occurred in 2006, only 4,504 cases (59 per dent) were registered under the act. Worse, the conviction rate was just 27.3 per cent.

The year 2007 saw 8,093 such deaths but only 5,623 cases (69 per cent) and a conviction rate of 23 per cent. The conviction rates fell further in subsequent years.

The panel’s report highlights the holes in the law’s implementation. “Since the prevalence of dowry is propelled by multiple factors such as market forces, the subordinate status of women, prevailing socio-cultural practices etc, amendments to the Dowry Prohibition Act may need to be considered to bring clarity in the law’s interpretation as well as to prevent non-application of various provisions.” The recommendations will go to the cabinet.

The cap on wedding expenses is a throwback to the Guest Control Order of the 1970s, which sought to limit the number of dishes and guests at parties, weddings and funerals.

Many states tried to implement the rule, including Jammu and Kashmir which gave it a shot as recently as in 2004, but the moves got entangled in a spate of lawsuits. A “one-dish law is in force in some parts of Pakistan, though, and the authorities there are known to have confiscated food items at weddings.

The Planning Commission panel also wants “the existing definition of what constitutes dowry” and the provision on penalties defined more precisely. It has sought a sufficient number of full-time dowry-prohibition officers. “The amendments to the Dowry Prohibition Act need to be considered to bring clarity in interpretation as well as to prevent non-application of various provisions.”

The Telegraph, 19 April, 2012, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120419/jsp/nation/story_15392877.jsp#.T4-y6FL5nYQ


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