 bill no  142  of  2015 the indian penal code (amendment) bill, 2015 byshri rabindra kumar jena, mp a billfurther to amend the indian penal code, 1860be  it enacted by parliament in the sixty-sixth year of the republic of india as follows:— statement of objects and reasonssection 304b (1) of the indian penal code provides that where the death of a woman is caused by any burns or bodily injury or occurs otherwise than under normal circumstances within seven years of her marriage and it is shown that soon before her death she was subjected to cruelty or harassment by her husband or any relative of her husband for, or in connection with, any demand for dowry, such death shall be called "dowry death", and such husband or relative shall be deemed to have caused her deaththere is a need to widen the scope of section 304b for the purpose of providing justice to women who are actually victimized for demand of dowry by husband or relatives it is necessary that the limit of seven years of marriage as provided in section 304b be removed the arbitrary limit of seven years allows a family or person who is aware of the existing legal provisions to harass and kill the victim for dowry in the eighth year of marriage or even laterin such cases, the accused should not be allowed to take the plea that death of woman has not occurred within a period of seven years from the date of marriagethe bill, therefore, seeks to amend section 304b of the indian penal code with a view to remove the limit of seven years from the date of marriage in case of death of a woman owing to demand for dowry by husband or his relativeshence this billnew delhi;rabindra kumar jenamarch 11, 2015 annexure extract from the indian penal code, 1860 (45 of 1860)       dowry death304b (1) where the death of a woman is caused by any burns or bodily injury or occurs otherwise than under normal circumstances within seven years of her marriage and it is shown that soon before her death she was subjected to cruelty or harassment by her husband or any relative of her husband for, or in connection with, any demand for dowry, such death shall be called "dowry death", and such husband or relative shall  be deemed to have caused her death              ———— a billfurther to amend the indian penal code, 1860————(shri rabindra kumar jena, mp)