(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.

Explanation.—For the purposes of this sub-section, “dowry” shall have the same meaning as in section 2 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.

(2) Whoever commits dowry death shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than seven years but which may extend to imprisonment for life.

Bullet Points on Section 80 BNS:

• A woman’s death caused by burns, bodily injury, or under abnormal circumstances within seven years of marriage can be classified as a “dowry death.”
• The death must be linked to cruelty or harassment by the woman’s husband or relatives in connection with dowry demands.
• The term “dowry” carries the same meaning as defined in section 2 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.
• Individuals responsible for dowry deaths can be sentenced to a minimum of seven years in prison, with a possibility of life imprisonment.