Delhi court says give proof of income before registering dowry case

Finally, some judges are getting the hang of things how false dowry cases are filed… or more likely they knew it all along, but now some are showing the courage to go against this dowry tamasha which does great injustice to hapless husband and his family members.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/rssfeed/newdelhi/Spent-a-lot-on-wedding-Show-us-proof-Court/Article1-506462.aspx

New Delhi, February 07, 2010

Planning a lavish wedding? Just keep the tax-returns ready. A city court judge has asked a woman and her parents to disclose their source of money for arranging a wedding that reportedly cost them Rs 60 lakh, on Saturday. Moreover, the court refused to register a criminal case against the groom for accepting dowry in the absence of these financial proofs.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rakesh Pandit said “Huge claims are made regarding giving of dowry which are sometimes are astronomical in nature as far as the financial condition of parents are concerned”.

Laviral Kalra (name changed) a resident of Anand Vihar, East Delhi got married to Pooja (name changed) in December 2008. Pooja alleged that her father, a property dealer spent Rs 60 lakh on her wedding, and also gifted a Maruti SX4 car to the groom.

Counsel for Laviral (who wished to remain unidentified) said, “The girl and her parents have not produced any financial documents to support their claims”. The court upheld his argument, and the judge said, “In these circumstances it is very difficult to ascertain whether this much amount was ever spent or any alleged demands were raised.”

The court noted that in matrimonial offences, it is essential to identify the source of money of parents who claim to host an expensive wedding. Pooja’s counsel argued that her parents literally “bowed to Laviral and his family’s wishes”, and the court should order criminal proceedings against him.

In the absence of financial returns or any other documents, the court dismissed Pooja’s counsel’s plea for registration of an FIR against Laviral and his family members.