Dowry: The Price Women Still Pay in Modern India

“When I held my grandson, it felt like Vaishnavi had returned home for a moment.”

These were the heartbreaking words of a mother who lost her daughter. Vaishnavi Hagawane, to an alleged dowry death in Pune in May 2025. Despite being married into a politically influential family, Vaishnavi endured repeated abuse. Her death ruled as suicide ignited public outrage, especially after her in-laws were accused of demanding ₹2 crore in dowry.

Just days earlier in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, a 30-year-old woman was tied with ropes and burnt with heated objects by her husband and in-laws for not bringing money from her parental home. She survived, but with permanent scars.

While the word “dowry” may sound outdated, the practice is surprisingly modern. Today, it hides behind terms like “custom,” “gifts,” or “tradition.” But its impact remains brutal: financial ruin, emotional trauma, and thousands of deaths every year.

Dowry Deaths in India: Year-wise Data (NCRB)

2021 saw 6,589 reported dowry deaths — 18 women killed every day due to dowry-related violence.

Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number (2,222 deaths), while Haryana had the highest death rate per 100,000 population.

Regional Spread of the Crisis

Here’s a visual snapshot from 2012, still shockingly relevant today:

Mumbai’s Story (2018):

• 26 dowry deaths in just 10 months
• 421 complaints of harassment for dowry demands
  (Source: Anti-Dowry Movement, Mumbai)

These numbers bust the myth that dowry is only a rural or uneducated practice. Urban, well-educated, upper-middle-class families are often active participants.

As social worker Aasha Mirage puts it:

“We are advancing in science and tech, but socially regressing to Manusmriti days.”

From Kanyadaan to Crores — The Historical Roots of Dowry in India

At the heart of every Indian wedding lies a contradiction. While marriage is often described as a sacred bond, it is also one of the oldest sites of commodification. Dowry, in its current form, is not an eternal tradition. It is a distortion that took centuries to take root.

Historical and literary sources suggest that dowry was not prevalent in early Vedic society:

• Scholar Michael Witzel found little evidence of dowry in Vedic texts; instead, bridewealth (where the groom paid the bride’s family) was common.
• Greek historian Arrian, writing during Alexander’s invasion (300 BCE), noted:

“They marry without either giving or taking dowries… only concerned with the woman’s beauty and strength.”

As women’s rights to inheritance declined, and social hierarchies tightened, marriage became more about economic alliances. Stridhan (gifts given to the bride) began to be taken over by the husband’s family. Over time, voluntary gifts became an expected obligation. Especially in upper-caste Hindu society.

A Forgotten Precursor: Ahilyabai Holkar’s Anti-Dowry Law

250 years before the 1961 law, Ahilyabai Holkar, the ruler of Malwa, passed anti-dowry reforms. She banned dowry in her jurisdiction and issued punishments for violations. A progressive move that is rarely remembered in mainstream legal discourse.

From Custom to Compulsion

By the colonial period, dowry had become widespread across castes, regions, and even religions, including tribal and Muslim communities. The 1661 marriage treaty between Charles II of England and Catherine of Braganza saw the seven islands of Bombay gifted as part of her dowry—a symbolic moment connecting marriage to empire.

Dowry is not “Indian tradition.” It is a social evolution of inequality, rooted in patriarchy, loss of women’s property rights, and status anxiety. And it continues today because that inequality remains.

The Dowry Prohibition Act — A Law with No Teeth?

“We outlawed dowry in 1961, but daughters are still dying for it.”
— Asha Kulkarni (General Secretary, Anti Dowry Movement, Mumbai.)

When Parliament passed the Dowry Prohibition Act in 1961, it was a landmark moment in post-independence India. Introduced by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru with the hope of ending centuries of exploitation, the Act criminalised giving, taking, or even demanding dowry.

But more than 60 years later, dowry hasn’t vanished, it’s only evolved.

What the Dowry Prohibition Act Says

Under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, the following provisions apply:

⚖️ Key Provisions under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961

(source- Crime Surveillance and Intelligence Council)

So Why Does It Still Fail?

Despite these strong provisions, the Act is rarely enforced meaningfully. Asha Kulkarni’s analysis after 60 years paints a grim picture:

Enforcement Is Weak:

• Dowry Prohibition Officers required by law are either not appointed or unaware of their duties.
• Police investigations are often slow, biased, or dismissed as “family disputes.”
• Over 86% of accused are acquitted due to a lack of evidence or procedural delays.

Institutions Are Unaware:

• Universities are instructed to hold Anti-Dowry Week annually.
• Government circulars exist, but are never implemented.
• Reports mandated by the Higher & Technical Education Department in Maharashtra haven’t been submitted since 2006.

Victims Stay Silent:

• Many parents fear that reporting harassment will worsen their daughter’s situation.
• Girls are taught to “adjust” instead of seek justice.
• Legal systems are slow, retraumatizing, and difficult to navigate without support.

“The file exists. The law exists. But implementation? It’s rotting in cupboards.”
— Asha Kulkarni

When Greed Becomes Culture – The Psychology of Dowry

Dowry is not just a legal issue, it’s a cultural disease. Despite being criminalized, it continues to thrive because it’s embedded in how we think, marry, and measure worth.

Dowry persists not because people don’t know it’s illegal, but because many still believe it’s necessary, normal, or prestigious. In India, even the most progressive families can justify dowry as “custom” or “gift exchange,” but beneath that lies a toxic mix of greed, patriarchy, and fear.

Why Do People Still Ask for Dowry?

1. Power Imbalance in Marriage
   Marriage is often seen as an “alliance” where the groom’s side has bargaining power. The bride is perceived as someone being “given away”—a belief embedded in rituals like kanyadaan.
2. The Groom’s ‘Market Value’
   Highly educated or government-employed men are openly priced like commodities. Families talk about “packages” in lakhs or crores—linked to the groom’s salary, caste, or NRI status.
3. Emotional Manipulation
   Many dowry demands are not direct. Instead, they’re masked as:

• “We don’t want anything, just what you can afford.”
• “Everyone gives some gold—it’s tradition.”
• “What will society say if there’s nothing?”

4. Silence from the Victim’s Side
   Parents stay silent out of fear for their daughter’s future. Survivors often avoid legal battles to escape public shame or lengthy court cases.
5. Normalisation by Women Themselves
   In some families, women perpetuate dowry by demanding it for their sons or expecting it for their daughters. The cycle of social conditioning is hard to break when dowry is seen as a way to maintain status.

Dowry is Evolving

Today, dowry is not always a suitcase of cash. It can be:

• A luxury car
• A flat in a metro city
• A fully funded honeymoon
• Shares in a business
• Expensive electronics, household goods, and “gifts for the entire family”

Even the act of listing gifts in wedding invitations or matrimonial ads with financial expectations is now a legal offence under Section 4A of the Dowry Prohibition Act.

This mindset isn’t just unfair, it’s dangerous. Women are harassed, abused, emotionally broken, and in many cases, killed. Even when they survive, they live with shame, fear, and the pressure to stay silent.

“We need to stop dressing up greed as culture. That’s what dowry really is—greed with a garland.”
— Aasha Mirage

Law vs. Reality — The Implementation Gap

India has some of the strictest anti-dowry laws in the world on paper. But in reality, they remain among the most violated and least enforced.

Despite laws like the Dowry Prohibition Act (1961), IPC 498A (cruelty), and IPC 304B (dowry death), dowry violence continues unchecked.

Why the Law Fails

1. Low Conviction Rates
   Over 86% of accused are acquitted—often due to pressure on victims, missing evidence, or tampered investigations.
2. Police Apathy
   Complaints are often dismissed as “family matters.” FIRs are delayed. Dowry Prohibition Officers exist only on paper.
3. Slow Justice
   Cases drag on for years, draining victims emotionally and financially.
4. Ignored Directives
   Government circulars like Maharashtra’s 2006 Anti-Dowry Week remain unimplemented. Universities skip mandated reports.
5. Social Silence
   Families hesitate to file complaints out of fear, shame, or pressure to “adjust.”

“The court asks for proof. The in-laws deny everything. The girl is left alone.”
— Lawyer, Pune Family Court

Unless we make the system survivor-focused and challenge the silence surrounding “family honor,” the law will remain a well-drafted formality. Even in the face of fear, silence, and systemic failure, voices are fighting back. From grassroots movements to courtroom victories, a slow but meaningful resistance against dowry is rising.

Real Acts of Courage

1. Vaishnavi Hagawane’s Family
   Despite the political power of the accused, Vaishnavi’s parents fought a high-profile legal battle, exposed the abuse, and secured custody of her infant son. Their public demand for justice shook Maharashtra—and reminded India that silence is not the only option.
2. Survivors Who Speak
   Women across cities and villages are now choosing to report, document, and testify—sometimes at great personal risk. NGOs like Majlis, Shakti Shalini, and SAHELI are helping survivors access legal aid, shelter, and counselling.
3. Dowry-Free Weddings
   A growing number of couples are publicly celebrating “no-dowry” marriages. Some communities in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra are promoting minimalistic ceremonies to set a new cultural norm.
4. Youth-Led Campaigns
   From college skits to Instagram reels, young Indians are calling out dowry practices. Social media movements have started using hashtags like #SayNoToDowry, #MyMarriageMyTerms, and #DowryIsGreed to challenge toxic traditions.
5. Legal & Policy Interventions
   Some states have begun re-evaluating the role of Dowry Prohibition Officers and strengthening victim-support frameworks. The Maharashtra State Women’s Commission has started fast-tracking select dowry death cases under media pressure.

“This isn’t just about one Vaishnavi. It’s about thousands who couldn’t speak. And millions who still can.”
— Rupali Patil Thombare, NCP Leader

The road is long, but these stories prove that change is not just possible, it’s already underway.

The Price Tag on a Daughter’s Life

Dowry isn’t just a crime, it’s a betrayal of the very idea of equality. It turns love into leverage, marriage into a market, and women into liabilities.

Vaishnavi Hagawane’s tragic death and the scars carried by countless others are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a society still shackled by greed, patriarchy, and status anxiety, despite legal reforms and public awareness.

We’ve had a law for over 60 years. What we need now is the courage to challenge what’s been normalized, and the compassion to stand by those who speak up.

“Stop asking what she brought. Start asking what we’ve become.”

Until we reject dowry not just in law but in everyday choices—wedding to wedding, home to home no real change will come.

Because no marriage that begins with a price tag can ever truly claim to be sacred.

If You or Someone You Know Needs Help

Dowry harassment is a criminal offence. If you are experiencing or witnessing dowry-related abuse, reach out immediately. Support is available.

📞 National Helplines:

• National Commission for Women (NCW): 7827 170 170
• Women Helpline (All India): 1091 And WhatsApp helpline number (7835075012) 
• Maharashtra State Women’s Commission: contact no. (022) 26592707 and Helpline No.155209
• Legal Services Authority (Free Legal Aid): 15100
• Police Emergency: 100

💬 NGOs and Legal Support:

• Majlis Legal Centre (Mumbai): majlislaw.com
• SAHELI (Delhi): saheliwomen.org
• Shakti Shalini (National): shaktishalini.org

Don’t wait for permission to protect yourself. You have the right to say no, the right to live with dignity, and the right to fight back.

(Reference-impriindia,indiacode.nic.in,lawjournals)