‘Dowry, the inherited stigma of Indian society’

Youth must be educated about it
Amendment to existing laws won’t necessarily reduce the evil practice and resolve the issue of dowry. Parents must be aware that taking dowry is wrong. There must be awareness among young girls and they should refuse the match, if any family demands dowry in any form. Also the parents must encourage their children to refuse giving in to dowry demands. In fact those who are indulging in the act of giving or taking dowry need to be exposed.

Today there are ample laws that exist, but not many are aware about them or even follow them. For instance, the Ruchika case is a clear case of how justice delayed is justice denied. But at the same time justice in a jiffy can result in miscarriage. 
Rather than amendments to laws, youngsters as well as parents need to be educated. The laws can become stricter and we shouldn’t be lenient on the accused. There must be a social movement against dowry and its perpetrators. 
—Mohan Pillai, lawyer

Strong legislation exists, but implementation is lax
Dowry is a social problem and not a legal issue, so it should be tackled accordingly. I’m not sure if the amendment planned to make it mandatory for the families of the bride and the groom to maintain a list of gifts and other exchanges made at the time of marriage will really help. This is because, these laws are already existing in the present Dowry Prohibition Act. But how many people are aware about these laws? At the time of marriage, how many people consult an advocate? If they don’t how will they come to know about the amendment to such legislation? I believe the present laws are sufficient, but people need to be made aware about it.

Moreover, I’m not sure if this act will help men who are sometimes falsely accused. The amendment also doesn’t ensure a speedy disposal. The ministry has also proposed a lighter punishment for dowry givers, instead they should give life imprisonment for those accused in such cases. We must follow the model of the Mohalla Committees to ensure safety of our city.
—MR Gupta, president, NGO Protect India family

Do away with the regressive custom
There are many women, in rural areas and cities, who are harassed in the name of dowry till date. So of course there is a need for stronger laws to do away with this evil. So the move to make it mandatory for the families to maintain a list of gifts and other exchanges made at the time of marriage will be beneficial. At the same time, I wonder why can’t we do away with the custom itself? Also the ministry needs to have proper demarcations regarding the distinction between voluntary gifts and those extracted under duress.    
—Neha Bora, airline executive

Girls must take a firm stand on the issue
The reason why dowry still exits is because some parents are desperate to get their daughters married. They offer dowry as a blandishment and set a bad precedent. Therefore, I don’t think such regulations will have a positive impact. There is need to take a tough stand. Girls must refuse alliances in case there is expectation of dowry and ‘gifts’. Awareness needs to be created and women need to stand up for their rights. Further the law assumes that people will report about gifts honestly. This may not be the case.    
—Manali Kumar, research intern

Measure not enough to curb the evil
I’m against dowry but don’t think such moves will help in curbing the social evil. It has been going on for ages and people still believe that by giving ‘gifts’ their daughter will be treated well by the family. For some, it is a matter of prestige. They want to tell the world how much they can spend on their child’s wedding. Although, the amendments may help in reducing the evil to some extent. It will give empower women to complain against in-laws, if harassed for more dowry a woman will have proof of exchange of gifts.    
—Kartik Shah, businessman

It is a matter of personal choice
Wedding is special to most people. Most will like it to be one of the most remembered occasions. All communities have different rituals regarding gifts and dowry they exchange. I don’t think it’s fair to force anyone to list the gifts that they exchange during weddings. It’s a matter of personal choice and I’m not sure if it must be codified into a law and even whether it will benefit those who are aggrieved. Lawmakers should rather concentrate on expediting cases of dowry, rather than ambiguous laws. 
—Pranesh Acharya, BPO executive