By Mrs Dipa Dube, Faculty Member, National Law University, Jodhpur
Justice, liberty, equality and dignity are the quadruple elements of free living stipulated in the Indian Constitution. They are the steps to the attainment of the goals of welfare state and all efforts of the Government are directed towards this end in view. But, unfortunately even after fifty-five years of Indian independence, we continue to grope in the dark and all dreams of ensuring liberty, equality and dignity of individuals continue to be mere farce.
Violence against women at home is the worst form of violation of the Constitutional mandate, perpetrated in present day society. If statistics are to be believed, ‘almost every six hours, somewhere in India, a young married woman is burnt alive, beaten to death or forced to commit suicide. At least 20% married women aged between 15 to 49 years experience marital violence at some point in their lives, many on an almost continual basis.’1 The nature of violence
