A Study of Cases Filed under Section 498A, IPC; Closed as False in Two Districts and Two Cities of Rajasthan

This study explores closed cases filed under section 498A of the IPC, which pertains to cruelty to a married woman by her marital family. It draws from two datasets of both primary and secondary data, comprising four districts in Rajasthan (Shri Ganganagar and Bharatpur). Jaipur and Jodhpur City [East]). The secondary data is comprised of police records of cased filed under section 498A which were labeled as closed, and the primary data is comprised of interviews with women who have registered these complaints, family members of these complainants, women’s rights activists, lawyers, and community leaders. Over the course of this study, the police records for a total of 337 closed cases were analysed, and a total of 63 women complainants were interviewed along with 42 other stakeholders.