Context
The Supreme Court of India delivered a judgment in a dowry-related death case and used it to make wide-ranging observations on the persistence of dowry in Indian society, despite its legal prohibition. The court addressed dowry as a systemic social problem rather than an isolated criminal act.
Summary
• The Supreme Court termed dowry a “cross-cultural social evil”, cutting across religions and regions, and held it to be incompatible with constitutional values of equality, dignity, and fraternity, particularly Article 14.
• It observed that dowry continues despite the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, as it is often masked as gifts or social customs, weakening enforcement.
• The court traced the practice to patriarchy, caste hierarchies, kinship norms, and status competition, where marriage becomes a means of social mobility at the expense of women’s rights.
• Dowry was described as a system that reduces women to sources of financial extraction, deepening their economic vulnerability and subordination within marriage.
• The judgment noted that even communities with protective practices (such as mehr) have seen these undermined or replaced by dowry, further harming women’s economic security.
Directions issued by the Court
• Centre and States to consider curriculum reforms emphasising equality between spouses.
• Immediate appointment of Dowry Prohibition Officers and public disclosure of their details.
• Regular training and sensitisation of police and judicial officers handling dowry cases.
• High Courts to monitor pendency and ensure expeditious disposal of dowry-related case
