"But we argued if taking dowry was a crime, giving it was also a crime."
In what has been seen as the first of its kind, an Indian man identified as Ramlal was charged for giving dowry to his daughter’s in-laws.
On Monday, July 22, 2019, a court in Rajasthan directed the police to file a case against Ramlal, a former serviceman.
The charge comes a few years after Ramlal filed a case against his son-in-law and his family for accepting dowry and harassing his daughter.
According to media reports, Ramlal insisted during the arguments that he had given adequate dowry and an envelope of money worth Rs. 1 Lakh (£1,160) when his daughter Manisha got married in 2017.
Her father-in-law Jethmal appealed to the court to file a case against Ramlal for giving dowry.
According to his lawyer Brajesh Pareek, Jethmal denied the allegations.
Mr Pareek explained: “During the arguments, Ramlal insisted that he had given dowry in his daughter’s marriage.
“But we argued if taking dowry was a crime, giving it was also a crime.
“We appealed to the court to direct police to file a case against Ramlal for giving dowry.”
Admitting the appeal, magistrate Richa Choudhary gave directions to the police to file a case against the bride’s father.
In his complaint, Ramlal explained that his daughter got married to a software engineer named Kailash in 2017.
He alleged that when they got married, Kailash went back to his job in Noida, leaving Manisha behind.
Ramlal said:
“After marriage, Kailash resumed his job as a software engineer in Noida leaving his wife behind.”
“When I took my daughter to Noida, Kailash did not accept her and pushed us away.”
He also accused his daughter’s in-laws of harassing her for dowry. In addition, Ramlal said they refused to let her live with her husband.
He alleged that Jethmal harboured resentment towards her.
Police completed the investigation regarding the matter and filed a charge sheet in court. The case is ongoing and both sets of arguments are being heard.
Mr Pareek stated that this is the first time that Section three of the Hindu Marriage Act had been exercised in a dowry case.
The section issues directions to file a police case against the person who gave the dowry.
Dowry is a practice which has gone on in India for decades but it is something which has seen violence and even death.
Although Indian laws against dowries have been in effect, they have been mostly criticised as being ineffective.
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