BANGALORE: Section 498A. The dowry harrassment law is something that has left both sections of the society -- male or female -- asking for more. On April 21, when Kannada actor Karibasavaiah’s daughter was found hanging at her home, the family rushed to the police and lodged a dowry harassment case against her husband Mahesh’s family.

Preethy, a lawyer based in Bangalore, recollects the time a woman’s family approached them for a dowry harassment case.

“The police refused to lodge the complaint as her in-laws were based in Pune, so we approached the magistrate court directly and registered the complaint,” she says. It has been over a year since then. And the case is yet to move an inch.

Women can lodge harassment complaints with the police, directly with the magistrate court or even through the Vanitha Sahayata Vani (helplines).

However, Donna Fernandes of Vimochana wonders why such cases are registered only after the death of the girl. “The anti-dowry law has left many unsatisfied.

For one, it puts the blame equally on those who give dowry and those who accept it. So, in that situation, which party will file a case?” she says. Moreover, she says that the word ‘dowry’ is not clearly defined as it excludes gifts given to the bride by the bride’s family.

Jayanthi (name changed) approached a lawyer to register a harassment case but was surprised to find that even when the case went into the court, the case has been dragging on.

“There is a deep-set prejudice against dowry cases.

In fact, both families involved are convinced that there won’t be any conviction anyway, so why bother,” she says. Preethy says that the husband of one of her clients had challenged her saying since there is less than one per cent conviction, she could go ahead with the case. However, she doesn’t discount the prejudice against 498-A entirely.

“There are cases where the woman and the family target and victimise the man with the case,” she says.

Bangalore will not forget the case of Kausar Begum in a hurry. The 26-year-old resident of HBR Layout lured 11 men into marriage.

After marriage she would dump and use the anti-dowry laws against them.

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