In Re:
Enforcement and Implementation of Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 [2005] Insc 295 (2 May 2005)
C.J.I
R.C. Lahoti, G.P. Mathur & P.K. Balasubramanyan P.K. Balasubramanyan, J.
The
expression 'dowry' in ancient times applied to that which a wife brought her
husband in marriage, goods given in marriage or the marriage portion. May be,
it was conceived of as a nest-egg or security for the wife in her matrimonial
home, especially since, most of the systems regarded a married woman as an
addition to her husband's family. But in course of time, it assumed a different
shape and degenerated into a subject of barter, acceptance of the woman as a
wife depending on what her parents would pay as dowry, varying with the
qualification and the status of the bridegroom's family. As felicitously put by
Krishnaswami Aiyar, C.J. on behalf of the Full Bench in Sundaram Iyer v. Thandaveswara
Iyer, 1946 Tra L.R. 224, "But an abuse of the situation soon came into
view when the bridegroom came to be marketed as a commodity for the value of
his accomplishments and future promises and the high standards of the
scriptural marriage which was a sacrament came to be contaminated by sordid
considerations of immediate monetary gains at the sacrifice of the abiding
purposes of the marriage union." The position cannot be said to have
improved since then.
2.
Possibly, a social revolution is needed to put an end to the menace.
Refusal
by the bride's father to pay dowry, refusal of the girls to get married if
dowry is insisted upon and the attaching of a social stigma to those who demand
dowry, can alone ultimately put an end to this system or at least reduce its
prevalence. Obviously, the enactment of a law prohibiting this evil should go a
long way in tackling the menace. The Parliament in its wisdom enacted the Dowry
Prohibition Act, 1961 (Act No.28 of 1961). The objects and reasons were set out
as follows :-
"The
object of this Bill is to prohibit the evil practice of giving and taking of
dowry. This question has been engaging the attention of the Government for some
time past, and one of the methods by which this problem, which is essentially a
social one, was sought to be tackled was by the conferment of improved property
rights on women by the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. It is, however, felt that a
law which makes the practice punishable and at the same time ensures that any
dowry, if given does ensure for the benefit of the wife will go a long way to
educating public opinion and to the eradication of this evil. There has also
been a persistent demand for such a law both in and outside Parliament.
Hence,
the present Bill. It, however, takes care to exclude presents in the form of
clothes, ornaments, etc., which are customary at marriages, provided the value
thereof does not exceed Rs.2,000. Such a provision appears to be necessary to
make the law workable."
3. The
Act came into force on 1.7.1961. But it was found that even an enacted law did
not help in eradicating or at least lessening the menace.
This
Court had occasion to say in Shri Bhagwant Singh v. Commissioner of Police,
Delhi, AIR 1983 SC 826, that :
"The
greed for dowry, and indeed the dowry system as an institution, calls for the
severest condemnation. It is evident that legislative measures such as the
Dowry Prohibition Act have not met with the success for which they were
designed." This led to the Criminal Law (Second Amendment) Act bringing in
stringent criminal provisions to combat the menace and to some amendments in
the Dowry Prohibition Act itself giving it more teeth. The objects and reasons
for the amendment by Act 63 of 1984, were set down as follows:- "The evil
of dowry system has been a matter of serious concern to every one in view of
its ever-increasing and disturbing proportions. The legislation on the subject
enacted by Parliament, i.e., the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 and the far-
reaching amendments which have been made to the Act by a number of States
during the seventies have not succeeded in containing the evil. As pointed out
by the Committee on the Status of Women in India, the educated youth is grossly insensitive to the evil of dowry and
unashamedly contributes to its perpetuation. Government has been making various
efforts to deal with the problem. In addition to issuing instructions to the
State Governments and Union Territory administrations with regard to the making
of thorough and compulsory investigations into cases of dowry deaths and
stepping up anti- dowry publicity. Government referred the whole matter for
consideration by a Joint Committee of both the House of Parliament. The
Committee went into the whole matter in great depth and its proceedings have
helped in no small measure in focusing the attention of the public and rousing
the consciousness of the public against this evil."
4.
There was a further amendment to the Act by Act 43 of 1986 making the
provisions more stringent and enhancing the punishment for taking or abetting
the taking of dowry. In spite of all this, it was seen that the enforcement of
the provisions of the Act was thoroughly unsatisfactory and this is reflected
by the filing of this Writ Petition in this Court, in public interest.
5.
This Writ Petition was filed on 31.7.1997. The main prayers were for the issue
of writs of mandamus directing the Central Government to frame rules under
Section 9 of the Act, directing the State Governments to frame rules under
Section 10 of the Act and providing for additional functions to be performed by
the concerned officers under Section 8B of the Act, for appointment of Dowry
Prohibition Officers by States as required under Section 8B; to furnish details
regarding the working of Dowry Prohibition Officers wherever they have been
appointed; for setting up of Advisory Boards as mandated by Section 8B of the
Act and to furnish details of the composition of the Boards and their working,
if the Boards have already been established in any particular State and for
other incidental reliefs to make the working of the Act more effective. The
prayers are really attuned to bringing about an atmosphere for more effective
and rigorous implementation of the Act and for taking steps to spread the
message of the Act among the people so as to educate them on the evils of dowry
and the remedies available in cases where demands for dowry are made.
6. In
this Writ Petition, various interim directions were issued. It is not necessary
to quote or refer to the individual orders passed or the individual directions
issued. In view of the directions thus issued, almost all the States have
framed rules under the Act. Most of them have adopted the model rules and it is
said that only the States of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa have not adopted the
model rules. The Dowry Prohibition Officers have been appointed by almost all
the States, except it is urged, by the States of Jharkhand and Uttaranchal. The
State of Jharkhand has filed an affidavit pointing out
that the Superintendents of Police of the District Headquarters have been
notified as District Dowry Prohibition Officers of the concerned district and
directed to perform their duties under the Act. Thus the present plea of the
States is that they have implemented the various directions of this Court and
steps have been taken to effectively implement the provisions of the Act.
According to the States and the Union of India, all that have to be done by way
of legislation and subordinate legislation have been done and the Advisory
Boards as contemplated by Section 8B of the Act have also been constituted.
7.
According to the Union of India and the States, though all that is needed by
way of legislation has been done, the purpose of the law has not been fully
achieved and the blame for this could not be put on the administration alone.
They submitted in one voice, as suggested by the first Prime Minister of India
in this context that:
"Legislation
cannot by itself normally solve deep-rooted social problems. One has to
approach them in other ways too, but legislation is necessary and essential, so
that it may give that push and have that educative factor as well as the legal
sanctions behind it which help public opinion to be given a certain
shape."
8. In
the context of the developments that have taken place, it is submitted by the
amicus curiae appointed by this Court that no serious effort has been made to
implement the provisions of the Act and the Rules and unless directions are
issued by this Court it is highly unlikely that the provisions of the Act and
the Rules will be effectively implemented. It is, therefore, submitted that
this Court may direct the Central Government and the State Governments to give
wide publicity to the relevant provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961
and Rules 2 and 3 of the Dowry Prohibition (Maintenance of Lists of presents to
the Bride and Bridegroom) Rules, 1985 by appropriate means including educating
the student community about the relevant provisions and the mandatory
requirements of the Act and the Rules. It is further submitted that the State
Governments may be directed to appoint sufficient number of Dowry Prohibition
Officers with independent charge in each district of the concerned State,
commensurate with the population of the District and to ensure that only
dedicated and sincere officers are so appointed. It is submitted that
directions may be issued to the Dowry Prohibition Officers to take immediate
steps for strict enforcement and implementation of the provisions of Section 3,
4, 4A and 6 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 and Rules 2 and 3 of the Dowry
Prohibition (Maintenance of Lists of presents to the Bride and Bridegroom) Rules,
1985.
9.
Learned counsel also submits that the Central and State Governments may be
directed to file Compliance Reports in this Court. One of the serious aspects
pointed out is that the Central Government has not yet framed the Rules under
Section 9(2)(b) of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 and a direction may be
issued to the Central Government to frame the necessary rules. It is also
submitted that a direction may be issued to the Government to consider bringing
in a legislation irrespective of caste or creed making it compulsory to
register marriages and furnish the list of gifts as contemplated by the Act and
the Rules. Learned counsel also submits that regarding seekers of Government
employment information may be sought for from them whether one had taken any
dowry at the time of his marriage and whether he had filed a declaration as
contemplated by the Act, and if he has taken dowry, whether he has transferred
it to its wife or her heirs as required by Section 6 of the Act. Such
declarations should be sought for even from those who are already employed.
Learned amicus curiae submits that unless time bound directions are issued by
this Court, the implementation of the Act and the Rules and the consequent
rooting out of the evil, will remain as tardy as it has been for more than 43
years. The Legislation will remain a mirage. Learned counsel appearing for the
Union of India and the States submit that neither the Union nor the States want
the evil of dowry to continue and they assure the Court that every step will be
taken by the Governments for implementation of the Act and the Rules and
further steps will be devised for making the Act more effective and the Dowry
Prohibition Officers more active with a view to eradicate the evil. We must say
that this argument on behalf of the respondents could not be accepted at face
value, in view of the fact that even today, none of the respondents is in a
position to tell us that the evil has been eradicated or brought down in any
part of the country. It is also seen that directions have to be issued even to
frame rules and even today rules as contemplated by Section 9(2)(b) of the Act
have not been framed. We are, therefore, satisfied that the mere recording of
the assurances of the Union of India and of the State Governments would not be
adequate in the circumstances. We have already noticed that this Writ Petition
was filed on 31.7.1997 and in spite of the pendency of this Writ Petition in
this Court for the last seven years, the implementation of the Act and the Rules
framed thereunder has not become as effective as one would have wished and it
has not been taken up with the zeal that is expected from the Government while
enforcing a legislation like the one in question brought about with the object
of eradicating a social evil.
It is
not as if the menace posed by dowry has in any way lessened. One can take
judicial notice of the fact that cases of dowry harassment are splashed in
newspapers almost every day. Therefore, it is clear that implementation of the
Act and the Rules has not been as effective as it should be.
10.
When there is failure on the part of the Executive to strictly implement a law
like the one in question, enacted to tackle a social problem which has assumed
menacing proportions, the Court has a duty to step in with a mandamus to direct
its implementation rigorously and effectively. In that context, we find that it
is necessary to step in and issue some more directions to the respondents in
addition to incorporating the directions already issued by this Court by way of
interim measure as part of this final judgment.
11.
Therefore, in addition to directing the respondents to implement all the
interim directions which were issued in this case thus far, we further direct
the Union of India and the States to take more effective steps to implement the
provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 with particular reference to
Sections 3 and 4 thereof and the various rules framed thereunder. In that
process, they are also directed to activate the Dowry Prohibition Officers. We
also direct the Central Government to frame rules under Section 9(2)(b) of the
Act if it has not already been framed. We direct the respondents to take steps
to ensure that submitting of the list as contemplated by the Act and the Rules
is strictly implemented. We direct the Union of India and the State Governments
to consider whether appropriate rules cannot be framed for compelling males,
seeking govt.
employment,
to furnish information on whether they had taken dowry and if taken, whether
the same has been made over to the wife as contemplated by Section 6 of the
Act, calling for such information also from those already in employment. Since,
it is also necessary to arouse the conscience of the people against the demand
and acceptance of dowry, we also direct the Union of India and the State
Governments to take steps for the effective stepping up of Anti Dowry Literacy
among the people through Lok Adalats, Radio Broadcasts, Television, and
Newspapers. These directions will be implemented and continue to be implemented
rigorously by the respondents.
12.
The conscience of the society needs to be fully awakened to the evils of the
dowry system so that the demand for dowry itself should lead to loss of face in
the society for those who demand it. We have no doubt that our young and
enlightened women would rise to the occasion to fight the evil which tends to
make them articles of commerce. We also hope that our educated young males
would refuse to be sold in the marriage market and come forward to choose their
partners in life in a fair manner.
13.
The establishment of a committed and sincere machinery to implement the Act and
the Rules can hasten the eradication of the evil. The Union of India and the
State Governments are directed to devise means to create honest, efficient and
committed machinery for the purpose of implementation of the Dowry Prohibition
Act, 1961 and the various Rules framed thereunder.
14.
The Writ Petition is allowed in the above manner.
Back
