The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has released its latest report, ‘Crime in India 2023,’ revealing a distressing 14% surge in dowry-related offenses. Across the nation, more than 15,000 cases were registered, and a heartbreaking total of over 6,100 women lost their lives due to dowry through the year.
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Specifically, the report indicates that 15,489 cases were filed under the Dowry Prohibition Act in 2023. This marks a significant increase from 13,479 cases in 2022 and 13,568 in 2021, underscoring a worrying trend.
Uttar Pradesh once again recorded the highest number of such cases, with 7,151 incidents, followed by Bihar with 3,665 and Karnataka with 2,322.
In contrast, a few regions reported no dowry cases in 2023, including thirteen states and Union Territories such as West Bengal, Goa, Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh, and Sikkim.
The human cost of this societal ill remains tragically high, with 6,156 individuals dying in dowry-related incidents during 2023.
Leading this somber statistic, Uttar Pradesh reported 2,122 dowry deaths, while Bihar followed with 1,143. Disturbingly, dowry was explicitly identified as the motive in 833 murder cases nationwide that year.
The legal system faced a substantial caseload, with 83,327 cases under the Dowry Prohibition Act going to trial in 2023. A significant portion, 69,434 cases, were carried over from previous years, highlighting persistent backlogs.
Enforcement efforts led to 27,154 arrests under the Act in 2023, comprising 22,316 men and 4,838 women.