SC: Demand for Motorcycle Falls Under Dowry Ambit

Legal News India: The SC ruled that any demand for cash, property or any valuable security from the bride or her family by the bridegroom, his family or other relatives in relation to marriage will be held as demand for dowry under the Dowry Prohibition Act.

The Supreme Court of India bench comprising Justice Aftab Alam and Justice R.M. Lodha, stated, "The mere demand for ‘dowry' before marriage, at the time of marriage or any time after the marriage is an offence. The 1961 Act has been amended by Parliament on more than one occasion. By the Dowry Prohibition (Amendment) Act, 1986, the Parliament brought in stringent provisions and provided for offence relating to dowry death."

The court ruling came in the wake of a dowry death for which the Punjab and Haryana High Court awarded seven-year imprisonment to the accused and his mother. The SC bench upheld the judgment of the Punjab and Haryana HC and confirmed the punishment for Bachni Devi and her son for killing Kanta. Kanta was killed after her father, Pale Ram, was not able to meet the demand for a motorcycle, which her husband would use for developing his business.