Why not ask your staff to furnish dowry details: SC to Centre, states

In a bid to improve the notoriously low compliance rate of the dowry prohibition law, the Supreme Court today came up with the idea of forci...

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In a bid to improve the notoriously low compliance rate of the dowry prohibition law, the Supreme Court today came up with the idea of forcing government employees to make disclosures in this regard.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India R C Lahoti directed the Centre and states to require all male employees to disclose whether they had taken dowry.

A direct fallout of this potentially far-reaching order is that those who join government employment may hereafter be required to divulge information about dowry before their recruitment.

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‘‘We direct the Centre and state governments to consider whether appropriate rules can be framed for compelling males seeking government employment to furnish information on whether they had taken dowry. And if taken, whether the same has been handed over to the wife as contemplated by section 6 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, calling for such information and from those already in employment,’’ said the bench comprising Chief Justice Lahoti, Justice G P Mathur and Justice P K Balasubramanyan.

The bench also expressed anguish that even after 43 years of the Act, both the Centre and state governments had failed to put in serious efforts for its implementation.

The bench sought more effective steps to implement various provisions of the Act with particular reference to sections 3 and 4, which seek maintenance of lists of presents or gifts to the bride and bridegroom.

‘‘We direct the Central and state governments to take steps to ensure that submitting of the list as contemplated by the Act and the rules is strictly implemented,’’ said Justice Balasubramanyan, writing the judgement for the bench.