The Purple Ribbon Collective

Section 498A is often debated for its misuse, but it remains a vital law to protect women from cruelty and dowry-related abuse. Instead of dilution, what’s needed is better enforcement of safeguards to ensure justice for the genuine cases and protection against false claims.

In light of the stereotypical and uninformed women’s safety measures announced by the West Bengal Government, such as “avoiding assignment of night duty to women” as well as the advisory issued by Assam Silchar Medical College to women such as “be composed emotionally” and “interact politely with the public so that you don’t attract unnecessary attention of unscrupulous people”, we revisit the some of the reforms recommended by the Justice J. S. Verma Committee, which have remained unimplemented since a decade.