India, Aug. 27 -- Courts can't be a solution to everything, the solicitor general of India recently said. So is the case with laws. The alleged dowry killing of Nikki Bhati in Greater Noida flies in the face of the laws prohibiting dowry and domestic violence. It forces us to ask why these laws have failed to be a deterrent.

Both these laws are criticised when misused to settle scores in a marital discord or deemed ineffective when a life is actually lost. These are, of course, no solution for fixing a bad marriage because marriage should be based on mutual affection and not social considerations. The problem is that such laws, particularly dowry prohibition and the prohibition of child marriage, have had little actual effect. To illustr...