498a
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
498a is an Indian law in which a husband and his family are summararily arrested when a complaint is lodged by the wife claiming that he cruelly treated her. Once the complaint is lodged the husband and his family are presumed guilty and it is up to them to prove that they are innocent in a court of law. This law has been under much controversy due to its increasing misuse leading to breakdown of families. It does not cost anything to file a 498A, and there is no penalty (or even a fine) for filing a false dowry complaint which has contributed to a fast rise in the number of such cases in courts today.