Skip to content
Nyaya Vidhiन्याय विधि · Indian Law, Lucid
Enacted 1961Family & Personal LawsShowcase

दहेज प्रतिषेध अधिनियम

The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961

A thirteen-section penal statute that criminalises every angle of the dowry transaction. Originally a 1961 Act with a modest six-month maximum, hardened twice in 1984 and 1986 into a five-year minimum-imprisonment offence with the burden of proof reversed onto the accused. Runs alongside Section 80 BNS (dowry death) and the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005.

Sections
13
Chapters
1
Tier
Tier 1
Commenced
Came into force 1 July 1961 (Notification S.O. 1410 dated 20 June 1961).

Preamble

What this Act sets out to do

An Act to prohibit the giving or taking of dowry. BE it enacted by Parliament in the Twelfth Year of the Republic of India as follows:—

Table of contents

Chapters

  1. Chapter I§1–10

    The Act

    The Act has 13 numbered sections, no chapter divisions in the source PDF. Section 1 sets territorial scope. Section 2 defines 'dowry' — the foundation of every other provision. Sections 3 and 4 are the flagship offences (giving / taking, demanding). Section 4A bans matrimonial dowry advertisements. Sections 5 and 6 invalidate dowry agreements and convert dowry into the woman's property. Sections 7–8B regulate cognizance, bail, burden of proof and Dowry Prohibition Officers. Sections 9 and 10 are the rule-making provisions.

    13 sections

Source

Read the Act yourself

Every section page on this site links back to the exact page in the source PDF. You can also open the full Act below.

Source PDF

dowry_prohibition.pdf

Page 1 · opens in new tab

About this Act

Quick facts

Year
1961
Sections
13
Chapters
1
Tier
Tier 1

Amendments

  • 1984Dowry Prohibition (Amendment) Act, 1984 (Act 63 of 1984) — Major overhaul effective 2 October 1985 — substituted Sections 3, 4, 6, 7, 8; inserted Section 8A (burden of proof on accused) and Section 8B (Dowry Prohibition Officers). Increased minimum imprisonment.
  • 1986Dowry Prohibition (Amendment) Act, 1986 (Act 43 of 1986) — Effective 19 November 1986 — replaced 'or after the marriage' with 'or any time after the marriage' in Section 2; raised Section 3 minimum to 5 years and ₹15,000 / value of dowry; inserted Section 4A (advertisement ban); made offence non-bailable; inserted the 7-year unnatural-death proviso in Section 6(3).
  • 2023Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 — consequential — Section 80 BNS (replacing Section 304B IPC) defines 'dowry death' — Section 2 of this Act remains the parent definition of 'dowry'.
Back to Family & Personal Laws