Kolkata: She describes herself as a woman who fights for men's rights. She devoted four years of her life to making a feature length documentary based on the abuse of anti-dowry law in India. She is Deepika Bhardwaj.

It was her personal experience of watching the terrible experience of separation in two marriages that lasted just a few months before ripping the families apart. "My cousin was involved in one. His wife had threatened him with legal consequences if he did not pay up. All that despite there being clear evidences adultery against her. On seeking legal advice, we were told that all laws are pro-women. False allegations were made against me and I was accused of beating her up," Bhardwaj told Times of India.

Though this issue was finally settled, Bhardwaj found other families who had suffered endlessly because of women fabricating charges while misusing 498A. "There is cases where women have fabricated charges under 498A even after separation. Families have got ruined fighting such cases for years," she said.

During her research, she came across numerous cases of abused husbands battered by the misuse of 498A. One such incident was a 2010 suicide case of a 65-year-old man from Kolkata. "In his suicide note, he had claimed to have committed suicide because of the fear of being dragged to court by his daughter-in-law on a 498A case. In this case too, the daughter-in-law was allegedly involved in an adulterous relationship but was misusing the law to blackmail her in-laws. This gentleman's son, Pratik Kumar Ghosh, will also be attending Sunday's screening," Bhardwaj said.

Speaking to TOI, Ghosh said, "I've seen how my father had succumbed because he couldn't take the trauma of living in fear of getting harassed this way. I am glad that such a documentary is being made to highlight the plight of the law the law gives license to 'legal terrorism' by women."

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, 13409 persons were tried under 498A cases by courts in West Bengal. Only 56 were convicted, accounting to a conviction rate of 0.4%. "Has anyone thought about what happened to the 13353 people who were arrested but weren't convicted? Being in prison after being arrested is enough to shatter their lives and reputation," she pointed out.

However, Bhardwaj admits that her work though appreciated by some members of the judiciary hasn't been popular with women's rights activists.

On being asked how she positions her work in times when crime rates against women are so high in a patriarchal society, she said, "My documentary says that justice can't be gender-based. Yes, there is an increase in the rate of crime against women but that's doesn't mean we can overlook the crimes against in-laws. Since 1998, six lakh women have been arrested across India under 498A. Many of them were arrested on fabricated charges. My work is essentially to help the innocent irrespective of their gender."