Prez gives assent to 7 state Bills

President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent to seven state Bills, including one belonging to Bihar which will ensure that the menace of dowry is dealt under the relevant central law, officials said Tuesday.

Of the seven Bills which got the President's approval, two are of Andhra Pradesh and one each was of Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Bihar.

The Dowry Prohibition (Bihar Amendment) (Repeal) Bill 2018 was enacted on the lines of the Centre's Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, thus rendering null and void the previous Act framed in the state in 1975.

A Home Ministry official said the Bihar government will implement the central law to check the menace of dowry demand in the state.

As per the central Act, demand for dowry invites imprisonment for not less than five years and a fine of Rs 15,000 or the value of the dowry amount, whichever is more.

The other Bills which got the President's nod were The Tamil Nadu Forest (Amendment) Bill 2017, The Criminal Law (Tripura Amendment) Bill 2018, The Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board Bill 2018, The Code of Criminal Procedure (Andhra Pradesh Amendment) Bill 2018, The Rajasthan Apartment Ownership Bill 2015 and The Bengal, Agra and Assam Civil Courts (Jharkhand Amendment) Bill 2018.