High Court asks Kerala government to strictly implement Dowry Act

The Kerala High Court has issued a notice to the state government seeking strict implementation of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961. The court questioned the government as to why the Act is not being strictly implemented.

The court was addressing a writ petition filed by Indira Rajan, the CEO of the Vikram Sarabhai Science Foundation. The petition says that 8,391 dowry deaths were reported in India in 2010. Dowry deaths account for 40-50% of all homicides recorded annually.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S Manikumar asked why Dowry Prohibition Officers were not appointed in the state, which is a requirement in the Act, reported The News Minute.

The issue is being widely discussed in Kerala after the death of two young women - Vismaya V Nair (22) and Suchitra (19). Both women had shared the details of harassment and assault at the hands of husbands and in-laws.

The petition seeks all government employees to furnish a declaration that they have not accepted dowry. The petition called dowry a social stigma causing "unimaginable torture and crime towards women". It pointed out that the "evil" has taken the lives of numerous innocent women from all strata of society.

The petition blamed the lackadaisical attitude of the government and its machineries for the current situation. The petitioner said that the Dowry Prohibition Act enacted in 1961 could hasn't eradicated dowry and serve its purpose.