Skip to content

Anti-Dowry Movement and Laws ISC Class 12 History

questionbuddy.in/isc/class-12/history/movements-for-womens-rights/anti-dowry-domestic-violence-and-government-measures

HistoryISC Class 12 · Movements for Women's Rights

The Anti-Dowry Movement, Struggle Against Domestic Violence and Government Measures (ISC Class 12 History)

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

In the late 1970s and 1980s autonomous women's groups such as Mahila Dakshata Samiti, Stree Sangharsh and Saheli campaigned against dowry deaths and domestic violence, and after the Mathura case of 1978 against custodial rape. The government responded with the Criminal Law Amendment Acts of 1983 (Section 498A), the Dowry Prohibition Amendments of 1984 and 1986 (Section 304B), the Family Courts Act 1984 and the Department of Women and Child Development (1985).

Notice how dowry deaths pushed women's groups to protest, stage plays and give legal aid, which led to new laws, Family Courts and the WCD Department.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Anti-Dowry Movement, Domestic Violence and Government Measures

What the syllabus asks. "Developments in the anti-dowry movement and struggle against domestic violence in the 1970s and 1980s. Measures undertaken by the government in response." Two blocks: movement, and response.

1. The problem of dowry. Although the Dowry Prohibition Act had been passed in 1961, dowry demands grew. In the late 1970s newspapers in Delhi reported many young wives dying of burns in "kitchen accidents"; women's groups showed that many were murders or suicides caused by dowry harassment ("dowry deaths" or "bride burning").

2. Organisations.

  • Mahila Dakshata Samiti (1977, Delhi), one of the first to take up dowry and women's rights.
  • Stree Sangharsh (Delhi, late 1970s), which campaigned against dowry and domestic violence and used street theatre (the play *Om Swaha*).
  • The Progressive Organisation of Women (Hyderabad, 1974), which protested against dowry and domestic violence.
  • Dahej Virodhi Chetna Mandal (Delhi, 1982), an anti-dowry coalition of many groups.
  • Janwadi Mahila Samiti (Delhi) and Karmika (Bombay) also took part.

3. Methods.
1. Demonstrations outside the homes of the accused in-laws, naming and shaming them.
2. Pressing the police to register deaths as murder or abetment rather than accidents, and following up cases.
3. Street plays, songs and public meetings to change attitudes; pledges not to give or take dowry.
4. Counselling and legal aid for victims and families; campaigns in newspapers and magazines such as *Manushi* (1978).
5. Petitions and lobbying for amendments to the dowry law.

4. Achievements and limitations. Dowry deaths became a national issue; laws were changed in 1983, 1984 and 1986; the police and courts became more alert. But dowry continued, convictions remained rare, and the movement was strongest in cities.

5. Domestic violence and custodial rape. Women's groups argued that cruelty and beating within marriage were not "private family matters" but crimes. Groups such as Saheli (Delhi, 1981) and the Forum Against Oppression of Women (Bombay) ran support centres, offered shelter and legal advice, and documented cases. In the Mathura case, in September 1978, the Supreme Court acquitted two policemen accused of raping a young tribal girl, Mathura, in a police station in Maharashtra, on the ground that she had not resisted. In 1979 four law teachers wrote an open letter to the Chief Justice protesting against the judgment, and women's groups across India, including the Forum Against Rape (Bombay, 1980), held protests demanding changes in the law. This was a turning point.

6. Characteristics of the movement. Autonomous groups, independent of political parties, led by educated urban women; a focus on violence against women in the family, by the police and in society; use of research, the media and legal campaigns; and links with wider questions of caste, class and civil liberties.

7. Government measures in response.
1. *Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 1983:* custodial rape (by police, public servants, hospital or jail staff) became a separate offence with heavier punishment; where the woman said she had not consented, the burden of proof shifted to the accused.
2. *Criminal Law (Second Amendment) Act, 1983:* inserted Section 498A in the Indian Penal Code, making cruelty to a married woman by her husband or his relatives (including harassment for dowry) punishable; added a presumption of abetment of suicide by a married woman within seven years of marriage (Section 113A of the Evidence Act); post-mortem made compulsory for such deaths.
3. *Dowry Prohibition (Amendment) Acts, 1984 and 1986:* tightened the definition of dowry, raised penalties and made offences more serious; the 1986 amendment added Section 304B ("dowry death") to the Indian Penal Code, with a minimum of seven years' imprisonment, and a presumption of dowry death under the Evidence Act.
4. *Family Courts Act, 1984:* family courts to settle marriage and family disputes speedily and through conciliation.
5. *Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.*
6. *Institutions:* a separate Department of Women and Child Development (1985), Dowry Prohibition Officers, special police cells for crimes against women, and support to women's organisations and shelters. (The National Commission for Women followed in 1990-92.)

Anti-Dowry Movement, Domestic Violence and Government Measures: key facts

Women's groups and places
  • Mahila Dakshata Samiti 1977 Delhi
  • Stree Sangharsh Delhi
  • Progressive Organisation of Women Hyderabad 1974
  • Dahej Virodhi Chetna Mandal 1982
  • Saheli 1981
  • Forum Against Rape 1980
Six groups.
Laws 1983-86
1983custodial rape and Section 498A
1984Dowry Amendment and Family Courts Act
1986Section 304B and Indecent Representation Act
Dates with sections.
Mathura case
  • Sept 1978 Supreme Court acquittal
  • 1979 open letter by four law teachers
  • 1980 Forum Against Rape
A turning point.

How to answer Anti-Dowry Movement, Domestic Violence and Government Measures questions

A question will ask for developments (groups, methods), or for government measures. Give names, years and the Section/Act.

  1. 1State the problem with the date (dowry deaths in the late 1970s).
  2. 2Name two or three organisations and their city.
  3. 3Describe methods in numbered points, then achievements and limitations.
  4. 4For government response, list the Act, the year and what it did.

Anti-Dowry Movement, Domestic Violence and Government Measures in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Making a private problem a public one

Suppose neighbours in a building hear frequent shouting from one flat but regard it as a private family matter until a residents' group says that violence is not private.

What changes when the group speaks out?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The matter becomes a shared concern.
  2. Victims find that others care.
  3. Authorities are asked to act.

Answer: Treating domestic violence as a crime, not a private matter, was the central argument of women's groups in the 1980s.

Memory hook: Private pain, public cause.

Changing the burden of proof

Imagine a school rule saying that if a student is found with school property in a locker, the student must explain how it got there.

Why might this rule help the school?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Ordinary evidence may be hard to find.
  2. The person with the property is best placed to explain.
  3. It discourages misuse.

Answer: A presumption shifts the burden to the accused, as the 1983 amendments did in custodial rape cases (and for abetment of suicide by a married woman within seven years of marriage), and as the 1986 amendment did for dowry death.

Memory hook: Burden to the accused.

Tricks to remember Anti-Dowry Movement, Domestic Violence and Government Measures

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • Laws: 83-84-86

    1983: custodial rape and Section 498A. 1984: dowry amendment and Family Courts. 1986: Section 304B.

    Use it when: Order of the Acts.

  • D-S-S-C-P for methods

    Demonstrations, Street plays, Support for victims, Campaigns in media, Petitions.

    Use it when: Five methods.

Anti-Dowry Movement, Domestic Violence and Government Measures: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Section 498A · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

What does Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code provide for? Which Act introduced it? [2]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Punishes cruelty to a married woman by husband or relatives, including dowry harassment (1 mark).
  2. Criminal Law (Second Amendment) Act, 1983 (1 mark).

Answer: Section 498A makes cruelty to a married woman by her husband or his relatives, including harassment for dowry, a punishable offence. It was introduced by the Criminal Law (Second Amendment) Act, 1983.

Example 2: The Mathura case · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

What was the Mathura case and why was it important for the women's movement? [3]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. 1978 Supreme Court acquitted two policemen accused of raping a tribal girl (1 mark).
  2. Open letter by four law teachers, protests (1 mark).
  3. Led to the demand for changes in rape law (1 mark).

Answer: In September 1978 the Supreme Court acquitted two policemen accused of raping a young tribal girl, Mathura, in a police station, on the ground that she had not resisted. Four law teachers wrote an open letter protesting, and women's groups held protests across India. The case became a turning point and led to demands, met in the 1983 amendment, for changes in the law on custodial rape.

Example 3: Methods of the movement · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Describe the methods used by women's organisations in the anti-dowry movement. [6]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Demonstrations and naming (1.5 marks).
  2. Police pressure (1.5 marks).
  3. Street plays and pledges (1.5 marks).
  4. Legal aid, media, lobbying (1.5 marks).

Answer: Groups held demonstrations outside the homes of the accused in-laws, naming and shaming them. They pressed the police to register suspicious deaths as murder or abetment rather than accidents and followed up cases. They used street plays such as *Om Swaha*, songs and public meetings to change attitudes, and encouraged pledges not to give or take dowry. They gave counselling and legal aid, campaigned in newspapers and magazines such as *Manushi*, and lobbied for amendments to the dowry law.

Example 4: Government measures · 8 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Explain the measures taken by the government between 1983 and 1986 in response to the women's movement. [8]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. 1983 Acts (3 marks).
  2. 1984 and 1986 dowry amendments (2 marks).
  3. Family Courts Act and other measures (2 marks).
  4. Institutions (1 mark).

Answer: The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act of 1983 made custodial rape a separate offence with heavier punishment and shifted the burden of proof to the accused where the woman said she had not consented. The Criminal Law (Second Amendment) Act of 1983 inserted Section 498A on cruelty to a married woman, added a presumption of abetment of suicide within seven years of marriage and made post-mortem compulsory. The Dowry Prohibition Amendment Acts of 1984 and 1986 tightened the definition of dowry and raised penalties, and the 1986 Act added Section 304B on dowry death with a minimum of seven years' imprisonment. The Family Courts Act of 1984 provided for speedy settlement of family disputes, and the Indecent Representation of Women Act was passed in 1986. A Department of Women and Child Development was set up in 1985, with Dowry Prohibition Officers and special police cells.

Example 5: Source-based: a dowry death · 6 marks · Source-basedHOTS / competency

Read the extract (written for this page) and answer.

In a big city in the early 1980s, a young woman died of burns six months after her marriage. Her family said that her in-laws had demanded money and goods. The police recorded an accident. A women's group held a demonstration outside the in-laws' house and pressed the police to reopen the case as a dowry death.

(i) Name one women's group of the period working on such cases. [1]
(ii) Why did women's groups question the police version? [1]
(iii) Which sections of law (1983 and 1986) help in such a case? [2]
(iv) State two limitations of the law and the movement. [2]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. (i) Stree Sangharsh, Mahila Dakshata Samiti or another (1 mark).
  2. (ii) They showed that many "kitchen accidents" were murders or suicides caused by harassment (1 mark).
  3. (iii) Section 498A; Section 304B and the presumption in the Evidence Act (2 marks).
  4. (iv) Convictions rare; dowry continued; movement strongest in cities (2 marks).

Answer: (i) Stree Sangharsh (or Mahila Dakshata Samiti). (ii) They pointed out that many deaths reported as "kitchen accidents" were in fact murders or suicides caused by dowry harassment. (iii) Section 498A (cruelty, 1983), Section 113A of the Evidence Act (presumption of abetment of suicide) and Section 304B (dowry death, 1986), with a presumption under the Evidence Act. (iv) Convictions remained rare and dowry continued, and the movement was strongest in cities.

Where students lose marks in Anti-Dowry Movement, Domestic Violence and Government Measures

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Dating the Dowry Prohibition Act to the 1980s

    Confusing with amendments.

    Wrong working

    The Dowry Prohibition Act was passed in 1984.

    Right working

    The Act is of 1961; it was amended in 1984 and 1986.

    Do this: 1961 Act; 1984 and 1986 amendments.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Mixing Section 498A and 304B

    Both concern dowry harassment.

    Wrong working

    304B is cruelty to a wife.

    Right working

    498A: cruelty (1983). 304B: dowry death (1986).

    Do this: 498 = cruelty; 304 = death.

    Usually costs: 1-2 marks.

  • Mistake: Listing laws without years

    Marks go for date-act pairs.

    Wrong working

    Family Courts Act and the Dowry Act.

    Right working

    Family Courts Act 1984; Dowry Amendment 1984 and 1986.

    Do this: Year with each Act.

    Usually costs: 1-2 marks.

  • Mistake: Treating domestic violence as outside the syllabus

    The syllabus names it.

    Wrong working

    Only dowry deaths are discussed.

    Right working

    Include Saheli, Forum Against Oppression of Women and the Mathura case.

    Do this: Cover both.

    Usually costs: 2 marks.

Exam tips

  • Pair each Act with its year; marking schemes reward the pairing.
  • Mention the Mathura case as a turning point for the movement.
  • Include one limitation of the movement and of the laws for balance.

Practice questions on Anti-Dowry Movement, Domestic Violence and Government Measures

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

    Name the magazine started in 1978 that campaigned on women's issues and the play staged by Stree Sangharsh. [2]

    Hint

    Manushi and Om Swaha.

    Answer

    The magazine was Manushi and the play was Om Swaha.

  2. Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

    What was the Family Courts Act, 1984? [3]

    Hint

    Speedy settlement by conciliation.

    Answer

    It provided for family courts to settle marriage and family disputes speedily, and by conciliation rather than adversarial procedure. This was one of the measures taken in response to the women's movement.

  3. Q3 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    How did the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 1983 change the law on custodial rape? [4]

    Hint

    Separate offence, heavier punishment, burden of proof.

    Answer

    It made custodial rape (by police, public servants, hospital or jail staff) a separate offence with heavier punishment. If the woman said that she had not consented, the burden of proof shifted to the accused. It responded to protests after the Mathura case.

  4. Q4 · 5 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Explain the importance of Saheli and the Forum Against Oppression of Women in the struggle against domestic violence. [5]

    Hint

    Shelter, legal advice, documentation.

    Answer

    Saheli (Delhi, 1981) and the Forum Against Oppression of Women (Bombay) ran support centres, offered shelter and legal advice and documented cases. They argued that cruelty within marriage was a crime, not a private family matter, and so helped change public attitudes.

  5. Q5 · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

    "The laws of 1983-86 were a success of the women's movement but not a solution to dowry." Evaluate this view. [6] (Evaluation)

    Hint

    Compare legal change with convictions and practice.

    Answer

    The laws were a clear success for the movement: Section 498A, Section 304B, presumptions in the Evidence Act and the changes to the dowry law arose directly from their campaigns. But dowry continued, convictions remained rare, and the movement itself was strongest in cities. Laws alone could not change attitudes or customs. The view is therefore fair: the movement won legal change, but it did not end the practice.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.What was the date of the Dowry Prohibition Act?Show answer

    1961.

  2. 2.What did Section 304B deal with?Show answer

    Dowry death, added in 1986.

  3. 3.Which year was the Family Courts Act passed?Show answer

    1984.

  4. 4.When was the Department of Women and Child Development created?Show answer

    1985.

  5. 5.Which group started in Delhi in 1981 to help victims of violence?Show answer

    Saheli.

  6. 6.Where was Dahej Virodhi Chetna Mandal formed?Show answer

    Delhi, in 1982.

Anti-Dowry Movement, Domestic Violence and Government Measures: frequently asked questions

What was the anti-dowry movement?

A campaign by women's groups from the late 1970s against dowry demands and dowry deaths, using demonstrations, street plays and pressure on police and courts.

What was the Mathura case?

A 1978 Supreme Court acquittal of two policemen accused of raping a tribal girl in a police station, which led to protests and the 1983 law on custodial rape.

What is Section 498A?

A provision of the Indian Penal Code (1983) that punishes cruelty to a married woman by her husband or his relatives.

What measures did the government take?

The 1983 Criminal Law Acts, the Dowry Prohibition Amendments of 1984 and 1986, the Family Courts Act 1984 and the Department of Women and Child Development in 1985.