Abuse of Sections of IPC'S 3o4 (B) and 498 (A) - A Case Report

Indian penal code is the main criminal code of India. It is a comprehensive code, intended to cover a substantive aspects of criminal law. Indian Penal Code, 1860, sub-divided into twenty three chapters, comprises five hundred and eleven sections. Sections 304B and 498A of the Indian penal code (1) were enacted to make it easier for the wife to seek redress from potential harassment by the husband's family. Dowry laws have come under criticism as they have been misused by women and their families. Here is a case where a woman died alleged had been murdered by her husband and mother in law and was booked under 304B and 498A. During autopsy there was no external injuries or internal injuries found in the body incidentally liver was enlarged weighing 5kg's, histopathology report and chemical analysis reports ruled out the foul play and confirmed the pathology of the deceased. The success of the investigation of dowry death cases largely depends upon forensic medicine experts.