India, Aug. 4 -- The Allahabad High Court on Monday, August 3, observed that dowry harassment complaints by a woman should never be brushed aside as routine matrimonial disputes, saying a woman's repeated appeals to her family may in fact be a desperate plea for protection and timely intervention could prove life-saving.

Deciding on appeals in a 2011 dowry death case from Shravasti district, a bench of Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan and Justice A K Chaudhary said families have a moral and social responsibility to believe a woman's complaints and act promptly to ensure her safety and dignity.

The court noted that women facing dowry harassment are often advised by their families to "compromise", "adjust" or "save the marriage".

"Such advic...