Contributed by Sudipto De Sarkar... Member SIF
----- Original Message -----
From: Sudipto De Sarkar
To: crimereporter@zeenetwork.com ; Gocool ; inews@zeenetwork.com ; anilsharma@zeenetwork.com ; santosht@zeenetwork.com ; crimefile@zeenews.com
Cc: Anilkumar Challa ; arun ; Deepak ; Deepak Kulshrestha ; Saneesh Divakaran ; Girish.T ; gopelalwani ; jlb3x ; mihir desai ; Nishant Kumar-del ; PJ Bansal ; Rama Mohana Rao Velaga ; Ramesh ; Robin-Sociolegal Research ; Sabahat ; Sachit ; Sai-Abu ; Sangyabalya ; Sanil.S ; Sanil.Shot ; Sanjiv Sinha-mum ; Sawrup Sarkar sarkar ; Sif-admin ; sifowner ; Sudipto De Sarkar ; U Gowda ; Uma Challa ; Umesh ; Umesh ; vikram-mum vik ; Vikas A ; Vinayak-CBE ; Vinod Patil ; VISHWAS THOKE ; DeepikaY yogesh
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 6:38 PM
Subject: Misuse of IPC 498A
Dear everybody listening,

Its good to see that at last someone in the media have taken up this apparently non-juicy issue. Hundreds, possibly thousands of individuals and their whole family awake to an alien world of police, court, jail and humiliation in my own country just because their wives or daughters-in-law (or even something-in-law) decides to use a very handy weapon in their hand- Article 498A.

Needless to say, this law calls rather cries to be misused. Please rest assured of this. I am a victim. I know people around me who also are and not in ONE single case have I found that the real issue has ANYthing to do with what the husband and his family have done. It always had to do with what the "she-can-never-be-wrong" woman and her family decides to do. What about the rights of the mother-in-law? Is she not a woman? If my experience is of any worth, in the end (a long-drawn end though), it is the woman who actually suffers no less than what the indicted families have to go through. Men are emotional, men are fools. They fall sooner than women. They pay the price. But divinity like always is the Supreme Judge. That judgment is infallible and Supreme. The only thing that this legislation has done is to break families and relationships, even if the irreparable damage to the husband and family is disregarded for argument's sake. Women in cities are logically more independent and are surely seldom oppressed for dowry or otherwise, but the cities stragely have loads of 498A under trial cases in their courts. The really oppressed rural women remains oppressed, and will always be so. A social change has seldom been achieved through legislation, however despotic it be. Education is the major and possibly the only means to achieve that. Reminds me of the famous Led Zeppelin Song, Dazed and Confused... "...Lots of people talking but few of them know... Soul of a Woman was created below...". The Indian man has gradually been brought to believe this. But still in my personal view, it is not so much the woman, but the law that is responsible. Give men some law like this and possibly they too will be happy enough to use it to their vindictive end.

Now the most important question- what do I want as a victim who has gone through the worst (ran around like a petty fugitive for 6 months, was about to be thrown out of my PSU job/ get suspended, parents were infirm and sick, yet had to live out of their own house for 3 months, could not go to visit ny sick parents for weeks together, such was the effect of the wrath of a single mighty woman- my wife) just because my wife wanted me to teach a lesson? Many say, abolish the law or make the law free of gender-bias et al. I have always been of the opinion- "Nothing more is needed. Just make provisions in the the law itself to get the complainant/ accomplices punished with the same penalty what they intended to inflict on the innocent family that bore the brunt of their ruthless attack". That is all that I want. 90% of the cases will simply vanish from the Indian Courts. Instantly.

Hope you do your best to raise your voice to amend this family-wrecking legislation. Let the Indian men not be apprensive over the very idea of marriage due to this intimidation that constantly lurks over man-kind! After all marriages are not something that should be discussed in the fathoms of the man-made horror of a criminal court. Marriages deserve much better than that.

Regards.

Sudipto De Sarkar...

Hello,

Once again request you to send feedback to Zee News by email and spread the news to all interested people. Those who have websites/blogs may put this as announcement/post. See email below:

Gokul
----- Original Message -----
From: Gocool
To: SIF-hope4men ; sif-mumbai ; 498Acases@yahoogroups.com ; misusedowryact@yahoogroups.com ; nridivorce@yahoogroups.com ; SIF
Cc: (ca) Jinesh ; (Ca)Kalpesh
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 2:46 PM
Subject: Zee news "CRIMEFILE" on misuse of law:Sunday night11PM, Repeats Monday 10.30AM&4.30PM
Hi All,

Just confirmed with Delhi Zee news office that the program on Misuse of 498a and Dowry laws will be telecasted on Sunday night 11 P.M, in "Crime File" program on Zee News. This repeats on Monday morning 10.30AM and evening 4.30PM. Zee News Schedule is here: http://www.zeenews.com/shedule.asp?sid=SHE .

Earlier the bombay reporter had told(and even now!) that it will be telecasted on Saturday and repeats on Sunday(so just to be sure watch out the same timings on Saturday too, though Delhi office is sure that its on Sunday & repeated on Monday)Do send your feedback to crimereporter@zeenetwork.com , inews@zeenetwork.com , anilsharma@zeenetwork.com , santosht@zeenetwork.com , crimefile@zeenews.com . That is crimereporter (at) zeenetwork.com , inews (at) zeenetwork.com , anilsharma (at)zeenetwork.com , santosht (at) zeenetwork.com & crimefile (at) zeenews.com .......... . (replace (at) with @). If they get good viewership and feedback, they will follow-up with more programs, so send in your feedback emails and forward this message and inform all interested people you know.

Those who want to be anonymously interviewed(to which Zee didn't agree this time), or telephonically interviewed or by webcam/net, can also give their ideas and request through the emails above, or write to address below:

Address: CRIME FILE, Zee News, Essel Studio, FC-19, Sector 16-A, Noida - 201301, IndiaPhone: 91-0120- 2515399, 2511064 to 76Send e-mail for Advertising : pradeepsingh@zeenetwork.com .

Spread the news and awareness

Warm Regards P.R.Gokulhttp://gokul.go.to , http://cruiserdeep.blogspot.com/, Chat IDs 1)Yahoo: gokul_p_r@yahoo.com 2) drmura@hotmail.comTele/Fax : +91 22 25614188(Bombay, Res), +91 9821414336Join SIF Mumbai Chapter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sif-mumbai/joinhttp://mynation.nethttp://www.498a.org http://www.saveindianfamily.orghttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/saveindianfamily24-hour All India Helpline Number:91-09243473794Volunteer Helpline Numbers Delhi : 9871734980, 9810611534, 9911119113Chandigarh: 9888562582Bangalore : 80-55334135Mumbai : 9224335577 Jaipur : 09352562456