Lok Sabha Question No. 3838 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-08-09
Subject: Misuse of Dowry Law
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: RAVINDRA BABU  PANDULA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3838 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 9 TH  AUGUST, 2016/SHRAVANA 18, 1938 (SAKA)

MISUSE OF DOWRY LAW

3838. DR. RAVINDRA BABU:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government  has  received  complaints  regarding  false dowry cases and misuse of dowry law by the bride/wives;

(b) if so, the details thereof indicating the number of such cases reported separately,  guilty  arrested,  convicted,  conviction  rate  achieved  and steps taken to improve the conviction rate along with the action taken against the guilty separately, during each of the last three years and the current year;

(c)  whether  the  Government  has  any  proposal  to  amend  the  Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 to protect husbands from mental cruelty by their wives and if so, the details thereof; and

(d) the steps taken by the Government to check misuse of the said law along with the advisories issued by the Union Government to the States and police departments in this regard?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI HANSRAJ GANGARAM AHIR)

(a) & (b): National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) doesn't maintain data centrally on complaints regarding false dowry cases and

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## L.S. US.Q.No.3838 FOR 09.08.2016

misuse  of  dowry  law  by  the  bride/wives  separately.  NCRB  has  started collecting data on cases in which final report ended as false under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 separately since 2014. A total of 447 cases were  reported  in  which  final  report  ended  as  false  under  the  Dowry Prohibition  Act,  1961  during  2014.  State/UT  wise  cases  in  which  final report  ended  as  false  and  cases  in  which  final  report  submitted  as mistake of fact or of law under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 during 2012-2014 is enclosed at Annexure-I.

(c)& (d): As  per  the  information  available,  there  is  no  proposal  to amend the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961

Ministry of Home Affairs has issued advisories dated 11 th  July 2014, 16 th January 2012 and 20 th  October 2009 to combat misuse of section 498A of IPC.

Advisory  dated  12th  May,  2015  on  Comprehensive  approach  towards crimes against women has been issued which is available at http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload\_files/mha/files/AdvisoryCompAppCrimeAgai nstWomen\_130515.pdf

-3LS USQ No. 3838 FOR 09.08.2016

Advisory dated 4 th  September, 2009 on Measures need to curb crime against  women  which is available at http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload\_files/mha/files/pdf/AdCrime-AgnstWomen170909.pdf As  per  the  seventh  schedule  to  the  Constitution  of  India  `Police`  and `Public Order` are State subjects and, as such, the primary responsibility of  prevention,  detection,  registration,  investigation  and  prosecution  of crime, lies with the State Governments/ Union Territory Administrations.

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## Page 1/1 of Annexure - I L.S.US.Q.NO. 3838 FOR 09.08.2016

State/UT wise cases in which final report ended as false (CFF) and cases in which final report submitted as mistake of fact or of law (CMF) under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 during 2012-2014

|                   |                   | 2012   | 2012   | 2013   | 2013   | 2014   | 2014   |
|-------------------|-------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| SL                | State/UT          | CFF    | CMF    | CFF    | CMF    | CFF*   | CMF    |
| 1                 | Andhra Pradesh    | -      | 91     | -      | 82     | 51     | 0      |
| 2                 | Arunachal Pradesh | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 3                 | Assam             | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 4                 | Bihar             | -      | 276    | -      | 166    | 101    | 93     |
| 5                 | Chhattisgarh      | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 6                 | Goa               | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 7                 | Gujarat           | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 8                 | Haryana           | -      | 4      | -      | 4      | 7      | 0      |
| 9                 | Himachal Pradesh  | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 1      | 0      |
| 10                | Jammu & Kashmir   | -      | 0      | -      | 1      | 2      | 0      |
| 11                | Jharkhand         | -      | 14     | -      | 36     | 56     | 74     |
| 12                | Karnataka         | -      | 82     | -      | 157    | 109    | 30     |
| 13                | Kerala            | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 0      | 1      |
| 14                | Madhya Pradesh    | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 15                | Maharashtra       | -      | 0      | -      | 2      | 0      | 0      |
| 16                | Manipur           | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 17                | Meghalaya         | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 18                | Mizoram           | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 19                | Nagaland          | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 20                | Odisha            | -      | 39     | -      | 44     | 81     | 40     |
| 21                | Punjab            | -      | 0      | -      | 1      | 1      | 0      |
| 22                | Rajasthan         | -      | 19     | -      | 27     | 6      | 4      |
| 23                | Sikkim            | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 24                | Tamil Nadu        | -      | 18     | -      | 17     | 2      | 13     |
| 25                | Telangana         |        |        |        |        | 15     | 9      |
| 26                | Tripura           | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 27                | Uttar Pradesh     | -      | 23     | -      | 9      | 0      | 32     |
| 28                | Uttarakhand       | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 15     | 0      |
| 29                | West Bengal       | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
|                   | TOTAL STATE(S)    | -      | 566    | -      | 546    | 447    | 296    |
| 30                | A & N Islands     | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 31                | Chandigarh        | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 32                | D&N Haveli        | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 33                | Daman & Diu       | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 34                | Delhi UT          | -      | 0      | -      | 1      | 0      | 2      |
| 35                | Lakshadweep       | -      | 0      | -      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 36                | Puducherry        | -      | 1      | -      | 2      | 0      | 0      |
|                   | TOTAL UT(S)       | -      | 1      | -      | 3      | 0      | 2      |
| TOTAL (ALL INDIA) | TOTAL (ALL INDIA) | -      | 567    | -      | 549    | 447    | 298    |

Source: Crime in India

Note: '*' data on cases in which final report ended as false started collecting separately since 2014.

Earlier it was colleted along with the cases in which final report ended as mistake of fact or of law.

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