Headlines
Move to amend anti-dowry harassment law draws flak from Men
New Delhi, April 3
Men's rights activists
slammed the move on Friday to amend the anti-dowry harassment law,
saying it was biased against husbands and their families.
"We
have already sent our objections to the prime minister," Save Family
Foundation (Delhi chapter) president Swarup Sarkar told IANS.
Under
the proposal, Section 498-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) will be made
a compoundable offence across India with the permission of courts as
suggested by the law commission and Justice Malimath committee on
reforms of criminal justice.
Sarkar said Section 498-A (of dowry act) is compoundable only in Andhra Pradesh.
"Statistics
showed there is no reduction in its misuse there too. Such provision
will lead to more abuse and extortion," he said.
Bangalore-based
NGO CRISP president Kumar V. Jahgirdar said if the government really
wanted to reduce misuse of Section 498-A, it should be first made a
bailable and then a compoundable offence.
CRISP works for the cause of child rights and shared parenting.
There should also be a provision of jail punishment of minimum three years for those abusing the law, he said.
Jahgirdar
told IANS that a draft note of the union cabinet seeking to amend
Section 498-A, making it a compoundable offence, has been sent to the
law ministry for drafting a bill.
The Supreme Court in a judgment
in 2010 said as it stood now the law (498-A) had become a "weapon in
the hands of disgruntled women", Jahgirdar said.
It had also observed that re-look of the entire provision is required by the legislature.
The
Child Rights Initiative for Shared Parenting (CRISP) has been demanding
amendment to the 498-A in true spirit of Justice Malimath report,
making it both bailable and compoundable.