Indian man jailed for 10 years over wife’s ‘dowry death’
The district court in Kerala state found Kiran Kumar guilty under India’s “dowry death” law, which allows charges to be brought against people for causing the death of a woman within the first seven years of a marriage featuring dowry gifts and payments. Dowries, which are illegal but common in Despite being outlawed under the 1961 Dowry Prohibition Act, India’s dowry system remains deeply entrenched in society and has become associated with violence against women. In the 1980s, lawmakers introduced sections into India’s penal code allowing authorities to charge men or their family members with a “dowry death.” The charge, which can also be brought in cases of suicide, is punishable with prison terms ranging from seven years to life.In 2020, the country recorded more than 10,000 complaints over dowries and nearly 7,000 dowry deaths, according to the National Crime Records Bureau of India.Kerala, where Nair died, boasts some of the highest literacy rates for both men and women in India, and is generally considered a progressive state — but it “exhibits stark and persistent dowry inflation since the 1970s and has the highest average dowry in recent years,” according to a World Bank report released last June.How to get help: In the US, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide also provide contact information for crisis centers around the world.
