Why Section 118 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam Matters in Dowry Death Cases
Dowry deaths remain one of the most disturbing realities in India. Despite decades of reform, countless women still lose their lives because of harassment linked to dowry demands.
Section 118 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, aims to change this. It allows courts to presume that a person is responsible for a woman’s dowry death if it is proven that she faced cruelty or harassment connected to dowry “soon before” her death. This presumption shifts the burden to the accused, ensuring that justice is not blocked by the absence of direct evidence.
By working alongside the definition of “dowry death” in Section 80 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, this law strengthens the fight against dowry-related violence. Yet, real change will come only when society rejects the practice of dowry entirely.
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