Advice to "adjust", "compromise" or "save the marriage" despite repeated complaints of dowry harassment can embolden abusers and lead to tragic consequences, the Allahabad High Court recently observed while deciding a criminal appeal arising from the murder of a woman and her infant daughter. They had been acquitted of the murder charge under Section 302 IPC (corresponding to Section 103 of the BNS) but were convicted for dowry death and sentenced to life imprisonment. Court added that a married daughter's safety, well-being and dignity should remain a paramount concern for her family. It noted that while the Dowry Prohibition Act, Section 498A IPC (now Section 86 of the BNS) and the dowry death provision under Section 304B were enacted to curb the menace, the problem continues to claim lives. On the facts of the case, court held that the prosecution had established all the ingredients of a dowry death.