Section 498(A) of Indian Penal Code, which is now Section 85 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), is among the most abused in the country, according to the Supreme Court. The misuse of domestic violence laws is also rampant in India, with non-resident Indians (NRIs) being booked for crimes under Section 498(A), which is a law that punishes cruelty against a woman by her husband or his relatives.

This has become a matter of serious concern following the issuance of lookout circulars (LOCs) by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, which revealed 62% of cases registered in Andhra Pradesh alone pertained to various forms of domestic violence.

The crime investigation department (CID) had listed 275 LOCs on its website, of which 171 LOCs were related to cases of domestic violence.

According to CID, the main reason why LOCs were pending in a majority of such cases was because NRIs against whom cases were registered had fled the country. In some instances, the offence had been committed by them from wherever they resided outside of India. In most cases, the complainants mentioned the family members of their in-laws as being guilty. If the accused were absconding, LOCs helped prevent them from leaving the country.

Offences involving money were also commonly reported, second only to domestic violence. About 60 LOCs were issued against those guilty of cheating. Rape cases came third with LOCs issued against 14 persons. – editor@nrifocus.com