Supreme Court Laments Persistence of Patriarchy and Domestic Violence Despite Reforms

The Supreme Court affirmed the murder conviction of a man who burned his wife to death, using the case to highlight the "paradox" of escalating violence against women despite economic and legal progress.

The Bench observed that while urban areas show social growth, patriarchy remains a "facet of everyday life" in rural and semi-urban settings.

Citing NCRB data of over 4.48 lakh crimes against women in 2023, the Court noted that legal safeguards alone cannot dismantle the social legitimacy of practices like dowry.

Emphasizing that domestic abuse persists not as isolated incidents but as symptoms of a "diseased social order" where women's autonomy remains constrained.

[Shankar v. State of Rajasthan]