NEW DELHI: Believing that the rights of women are affected by its previous order, the Supreme Court Friday indicated that it would revisit its two-month-old verdict which reduced the severity of the anti-dowry law.
On July 27, an apex court bench had directed that no arrest should normally be effected without verifying allegations as violation of human rights of innocents cannot be brushed aside. The order received mixed response with women’s rights activists claiming it weakened the fight against dowry, while people working for men’s groups said the order was important to stop growing misuse of the legislation.
A bench headed by CJI Dipak Misra said it’s not in agreement with an earlier verdict, which had actually diluted the severity of section 498A (subjecting married woman to cruelty) of the IPC by constituting a buffer of family welfare committees in every district to verify allegations against the husband or the relatives of the husband. The SC has sought the Centre’s response by October 29.
The bench was hearing a plea filed by NGO Nyayadhar seeking sharpness of section 498A claiming that the otherwise helpful instrument in the hands of women victims has become useless.