Makes it an offence for a husband or his relative to subject a woman to cruelty — defined to include wilful conduct likely to drive her to suicide or cause grave injury (physical or mental), and harassment aimed at coercing her or her family to meet an unlawful demand for property or valuable security, or harassment because such a demand hasn't been met.
- Punishable with imprisonment up to 3 years and a fine.
This is the general anti-cruelty provision within a marriage — it doesn't require an actual death or dowry demand specifically tied to injury; sustained harassment itself is enough.
Related law
Dowry death — the more serious offence this can escalate into
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This is a plain-English summary, not verbatim statutory text. Adhikar is an independent citizen-awareness platform, not a Government of India website. Always verify against the bare Act (legislative.gov.in) or a qualified advocate before relying on this for an actual legal situation.