Why Dowry Deaths Still Plague India: Harsh Laws, Hollow Justice

"The mere fact that these numbers are being recorded may signal progress, victims’ stories are at least making it to official channels, said Naveed Mehmood Ahmad, the Senior Resident Fellow and Lead with the Crime and Punishment Team at Vidhi Legal. “Overreliance on courts, a trend dating back to the late 1970s and 1980s, has done little to stem the tide.”

He explained that government efforts tend to prioritise harsher punishments, such as the death penalty for dowry deaths. However, he emphasised that relying solely on punitive measures is insufficient to tackle an issue deeply embedded in societal attitudes, gender inequality, and systemic flaws within the criminal justice system. Ahmad warned that without comprehensive reforms in how cases are investigated, prosecuted, and prevented, India risks experiencing the same tragedies repeatedly."

The article was published by Outlook India on October 9, 2025.