Question

Under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, within how many months from the date of marriage must dowry received before marriage be transferred to the woman?

• A. Within five months
• B. Within three months
• C. Within six months
• D. Within seven months

Hint:

Remember the timeline under Section 6: Dowry received before marriage → Transfer within 3 months after marriage. This is a frequently asked statutory period.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Section 6 of the Dowry Prohibition Act actually fixes the transfer period differently depending on when the dowry was received, before the marriage or at and after it, so the key is matching the right starting point to the right category, not just recalling a single number.

1. Within five months: This period appears nowhere in Section 6, under either timing category, so it does not fit dowry received before marriage.
2. Within three months: Where dowry is received before the marriage, Section 6 requires it to be transferred to the woman within three months counted from the date of the marriage itself, exactly the situation the question describes.
3. Within six months: Section 6 also uses a three-month period for dowry received at or after the marriage, just counted from the date of receipt rather than the date of marriage; six months does not appear as the period for either category, so it cannot be right.
4. Within seven months: This figure, like six months, is not used anywhere in Section 6.

Matching the timing in the question, dowry received before marriage, to Section 6's period measured from the date of marriage confirms three months as the answer.

Answer 2

Looking at why Section 6 fixes any deadline at all, the mischief it targets, helps in choosing between these four figures. Before this provision, dowry given for the bride often ended up permanently with her in-laws, defeating the very purpose of dowry going to her. A short, enforceable deadline was needed to stop that from happening.

1. Within five months: Neither the wording of Section 6 nor its underlying purpose supports singling out this exact figure for dowry received before marriage.
2. Within three months: A short window like three months serves the provision's purpose well, it is long enough to allow the property to actually be handed over, but short enough that dowry does not quietly stay parked in someone else's name indefinitely, and this is the figure Section 6 actually fixes for dowry received before the marriage.
3. Within six months: A longer window like this would dilute the urgency the provision is meant to create and, more importantly, is simply not the figure Section 6 uses for this category.
4. Within seven months: An even longer period than six months would undercut the provision's purpose further still, and again does not match the statutory text.

Reading the deadline through the mischief Section 6 was designed to prevent, dowry being retained indefinitely by someone other than the bride, points to the shorter, statutorily fixed period of three months.

The correct answer is therefore Within three months.