MISUSE OF WOMEN-CENTRIC LAWS IN INDIA: A CRITICAL LEGAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

Women-centric legal protection has widened in response to the long-term gender inequality and continued happening of violence against women in
India. Legislative measures such as Section 498A IPC, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, and the Sexual Harassment of Women at
Workplace Act, 2013, have played an important role in providing justice and legal remedies. However, with its growing use, misuse or strategic use of these
provisions have concerned judiciary, particularly in matrimonial and interpersonal issues.
The paper critically examines the nature, extent, and implications of such misuse, taken from recent statistical data, judicial judgments, and current
legal scholarships. While official data tells that crime against women are high, challenges such as low conviction rates and high case withdrawals, have contributed
to debates on its misuse. The study deals with Supreme Court key judgments such as Arnesh Kumar v. State of Bihar (2014) and Rajesh Sharma v. State of UP
(2017), which acknowledge concerns related to procedural abuse. The paper adopts a balanced legal and analytical approach. It evaluates the impact of alleged
misuse on accused individuals, judicial efficiency, and reliability of real claims. The paper concludes after proposing reforms which aims to ensure procedural
fairness and institutional accountability.