Domestic Violence Act Being Misused

Source : The Siasat Daily, Sunday, 28 January, 2007

[PTI]

New Delhi, January 28:Prevailing criminal laws protecting women against domestic violence are increasingly being misused and they needed to be amended, speakers at a seminar said here today.

Citing the recently-passed Domestic Violence Act and Section 498A of the IPC as laws allegedly being misused, they said these laws are leading to victimisation and harassment.

"The cultural paradigm of the Indian society has been ignored while implementing the Domestic Violence Act which is not only gender-biased but is also unstructured", Ashish Mukhi, an activist, said at the conference on "Impact of Family Laws on Indian Society" organised by Save Family Forum.

Section 498A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) is being used to victimise and harass many families, he said.

The misuse of laws is leading to emotional, physical and financial crisis, Anupama Singh, another activist, alleged.

Implementation of these laws in the present format, if not controlled, can immensely disturb the marital and family stability, she claimed.