Why are dowry deaths still so prevalent today?

Introduction: Dowry- A Horrific Practice

I am recounting an incident that happened a few years ago, when I was a child. Suddenly, there was a commotion in my neighbourhood. My mother and others learned that a neighbour living a short distance away had his daughter-in-law commit suicide by setting herself on fire.

I was very young at the time, but the image of that horrific incident is still fresh in my heart and mind. The only thought that crossed my mind at that moment was, if she had to kill herself, why so horribly? Later, during a police inquiry, it was revealed that the daughter-in-law’s in-laws had set her on fire and fled because their son had been offered by someone else a large sum of money as dowry.

Marriage had become a transaction. A human relationship had been reduced to a price tag, and a woman’s life became the cost of that bargain.

The woman from his first marriage died prematurely… What kind of marriage is this, and what kind of inhumanity is this? 

This was the time when, at the time of marriage, the boy would receive around Rs 50000, household items, some gold jewellery, a two-wheeler, or money in lieu thereof from the girl’s family.

This dowry custom began as a gift of honor from the bride’s family.

Historically, different methods of gifts given to daughters at marriage existed in different parts of India. 

Over time, social practices, inheritance patterns, economic pressures, and colonial-era changes in property structures influenced how these customs evolved. 

What may once have been intended as voluntary gifts gradually transformed, in many cases, into demands and expectations. 

So think of it this way: When daughters of a household were denied legal rights to real estate, society changed its rules to ensure daughters had these rights, introducing the dowry system. But our ancestors probably never imagined that this tradition would take such a horrific turn over time.

The dowry tradition has harmed daughters rather than helping them secure a respected position in their in-laws’ home.

How much money is enough to start a newlywed life?

I understand that starting afresh after marriage is quite challenging, especially when you have to move away from your family.

Newly married couples face a variety of expenses as they navigate their new life together while managing their household. 

Living away from home often means that their responsibilities increase. 

They have to manage their own lives while also supporting family members who remain in their hometown.

For newly married couples, things are easier if both earn well; otherwise, the situation becomes more serious when only one partner works. 

Financial pressures in a newly married life are real. 

Couples today face rent, household expenses, and responsibilities toward family members. 

But financial difficulty cannot justify turning marriage into a transaction. 

Shared responsibilities may be difficult; treating the bride’s family as a source of financial rescue creates a cycle of exploitation. 

This often leads to a blame game, with the non-earning member bearing the brunt of the accusations.

This reality may sound unsound, yet it happens everywhere. One can’t deny this or brush it off.

If life’s struggles appear right at the beginning of married life, conflicts and fights can arise between two newly married couples from different backgrounds.

From here begins the period of tussle between the two families. Those who keep their calm and don’t let anyone over-analyse the situation for them, win this race as a couple.

The equations are simple, but the consequences are daunting. As dowry demands rise exponentially over time, all expenses of the bride and groom are expected to be borne by the girl’s family.

When this doesn’t go as expected, the person who has to feel the heat is the bride, and no one else.

Dowry System: A Monster of a Civilized Society

It is not that I did not feel the pressure of dowry; I too faced it and struggled for years, and today, when I have a daughter of my own, my concerns have increased even more, because I would never want the shadow of this stigma to reach my daughter. 

I have taught my daughter life skills and encouraged her to become self-reliant. But solving this problem cannot remain only a parent’s responsibility. 

There remains an inherent contradiction in a society that educates daughters but still places a price on marriage.

Dowry deaths will not disappear merely through laws; they will disappear when marriages stop being negotiations and start becoming partnerships. The day daughters are viewed not as responsibilities but as individuals with equal dignity and rights, perhaps marriages will finally stop carrying price tags. 

Dowry Deaths in India

Category	Act / Statute	Key Provisions & Legal Mechanisms	Maximum Penalties / Remedies
Preventative & Restrictive	The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961	* Section 3: Bans the giving or taking of dowry. * Section 4: Criminalizes the mere demand of dowry by the groom or his family. * Section 6: Mandates that any dowry received must be transferred to the bride (Stridhan).	* Giving/Taking: Minimum 5 years imprisonment + heavy fine. * Demanding: 6 months to 2 years imprisonment.
Criminal Anti-Cruelty	Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) (Formerly IPC Section 498A)	* Sections 85 & 86: Defines matrimonial cruelty (both physical and mental torment). * Cruelty explicitly includes harassment to coerce the woman or her family to meet unlawful property/dowry demands.	* Up to 3 years imprisonment and a fine. * Non-bailable and cognizable offense.
Criminal Homicide	Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) (Formerly IPC Section 304B)	* Section 80 (Dowry Death): Applied if a woman dies an unnatural death (burns, injuries, or suicide) within 7 years of marriage, and it is proven she faced dowry harassment shortly before her death.	* Mandatory minimum of 7 years imprisonment, extendable up to life imprisonment.
Criminal Abetment	Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) (Formerly IPC Section 306)	* Section 108 (Abetment of Suicide): Applied when relentless domestic violence or dowry extortion drives a woman to end her own life.	* Up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine.
Legal Burden Shift	The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) (Formerly Indian Evidence Act, Sec 113B)	* Section 114B: Reversal of the burden of proof. If the prosecution proves dowry harassment occurred shortly before an unnatural death within 7 years of marriage, the court must presume the husband/in-laws caused it.	* Procedural mechanism: Shifts the legal burden onto the accused to prove their innocence.
Civil Protection & Relief	Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (DV Act)	* A civil law offering broad protection against physical, emotional, sexual, and economic abuse. * Protects women in “domestic relationships” (including shared households and live-in relationships).	* Protection Orders: Bans the abuser from contacting or approaching the victim. * Residence Orders: Prevent the victim from being evicted from the matrimonial home. * Monetary Relief / Custody: Secures monthly maintenance and temporary child custody.

Why are so many dowry cases coming to light these days?

I don’t know why it seems that as we advance in terms of technology, we ourselves are emerging as enemies of humanity. 

Society cannot function without women, but as flag-bearers of patriarchal society, we are neither giving women their rights nor their security, and on top of that, in the name of tradition, we are making their lives difficult.

There was a time when there were countless restrictions on girls and women. Today, when women are moving forward on their own, becoming a support for themselves and their people, then talking about keeping them under control, clipping their dreams, and then torturing them in the name of dowry, will this continue to be their destiny?

I will not be able to give statistics related to dowry here, because I know that today we have reached such a low level of humanity that people will give examples of this as well, that look, even after all this, this tradition continues. The bride and her family continue to suffer atrocities in the name of dowry.

Dowry Cases: The Other Side

The other side of dowry cases is just as horrific as the first. 

There is another aspect that also deserves discussion. While laws exist to protect women from cruelty and dowry harassment, concerns have also been raised in some cases regarding misuse of legal provisions. False accusations, when proven, can harm innocent individuals and may weaken public trust in genuine complaints. However, isolated misuse should never become a reason to dismiss or doubt real victims seeking justice. 

False cases can undermine genuine cases. 

In today’s world, where information spreads rapidly through social media, it is crucial to ensure that genuine victims receive justice, their voices are heard, and their concerns are valued.

It is equally wrong to blame the victim.

This trend has probably been going on for centuries: if the accused is someone influential or wealthy, the blame is placed squarely on the victim. 

Then begins a cycle of character assassination, in which the victim is blamed and shamed for violating family values.

How strange it is, so many laws, so many books on moral ethics, so many reels on family values, and without any judgment, a campaign starts to prove the victim guilty, even those people who get tired of atrocities and commit suicide are not spared.

Money matters, so does life…it’s a heinous crime to kill someone for the sake of money or to abet someone to suicide in case of being unable to fulfill your monetary demands.

Life is precious.

Conclusion 

In contemporary society, the dowry system presents significant moral and ethical dilemmas surrounding marriage practices.

This age-old tradition involves the transfer of wealth from the bride’s family to the groom’s, often placing undue pressure on families and affecting marital dynamics.

As we move forward at this crossroads, it becomes important to address the effects of dowry on gender equality, financial stability, and personal relationships, to spark conversations that can lead to positive changes in the way marriages are viewed and structured.

Change rarely arrives overnight; it begins quietly, inside homes, through conversations, values, and the choices we make every day. Perhaps the next generation will not ask how much dowry was given, but how much respect, trust, and kindness exist in a relationship.

And maybe that day is not too far away. Maybe one day, daughters will walk into their new homes carrying dreams instead of fear, confidence instead of pressure, and smiles instead of silent worries.

Dear Readers,

This article is not written to point fingers at one gender, one family, or one tradition. It is written to encourage reflection. Customs become dangerous when human values are forgotten.

If even one person chooses dignity over dowry, respect over pressure, and partnership over transactions after reading this, then this conversation has meaning.

Feel free to share your thoughts respectfully. Every voice and every experience matters.

“Dowry deaths will not disappear merely through laws; they will disappear when marriages stop being negotiations and start becoming partnerships.”

Genuine articles for genuine readers.