‘Anuronon’ A Bi-lingual Compilation of Articles and

Translations by members, CWSD, Tinsukia

College, Tinsukia & Published by Cell for Women’s
Studies & Development, Tinsukia College.
With due acknowledgements to: Contents....
Dr. Bhuban Gogoi, Principal (Patron)
Shri Rudra Dutta δšàƒA¡ãÚ... 01
The Lawyers Collective Women’s Rights Initiative
Academic Staff College, >à¹ã¹ ¹Òθ ¤>à³ šå¹ç¡È
Jadavpur University
Samhita, a Kolkata based NGO / "[>t¡à ¤¹ç¡¯à / 03
Naomi Wolf A¡³¢ìÛ¡y "à¹ç¡ [ÅÛ¡àìÛ¡yt¡ ë™ï>-
Edited and compiled by:
Sangita Baruah l¡ü;šãØl¡> ë¹à‹ A¡¹àt¡ Wå¡šøã³ ëA¡ài¢¡¹
Mayuri Sharma Baruah
Anita Baruwa [>샢Å௺ã.. /¤[”z³àºà 냤ã /05
Pallavi Gogoi The Protection of Women
Translator:
Smti Bantimala Devi from Domestic Violence Act
Office bearers of CWSD, Tinsukia College,
Tinsukia College: 2005 /10
Sangita Baruah, Coordinator
Rasmita Borkotoky
Mayuri Sharma Baruah }
Joint Secretaries
Dr. Sanjukta Gohain Baruah, Treasurer
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9
 ">å¹o>

THE PROTECTION OF WOMEN

FROM
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ACT 2005
CONCERNS & QUERIES AT A GLANCE :

What is “domestic violence”? [Section 3]

1. Any form of abuse causing harm or injury to the physical and / or mental
health of the woman or compromising her life and safety.
2. Any harassment for dowry or to meet any other unlawful demand.
3. Threats to cause injury or harm. Forms of abuse recognized under the
law:
a. “Physical abuse”- any act that causes bodily injury or hurt. E.g. -
beating, kicking, punching, etc.
b. “Sexual abuse”- any humiliating or degrading sexual act. E.g. –
forced sexual intercourse by the husband, making a woman watch
pornography against her will etc.
c. “Verbal and emotional abuse” – insults, ridicule and threat causing
harm or injury. E.g. – name calling, ostracizing, blaming a woman
for not having a male child etc.
d. “Economic abuse”-deprivation of the basic necessities of life and
entitlements that causes injury or harm. E.g. – denial of food,
disposing off household assets to the detriment of the woman,
disposing off her own assets (such as Stridhan) against her will
etc. In all such cases, the judge must bear in mind the overall
circumstances of the case in arriving at a conclusion that an act of
domestic violence has been committed.
What is the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005
(PWDVA)?
The PWDVA is a civil law, which aims at providing immediate and
emergency relief to women facing violence in domestic relationships. The
main objective of this Act is to provide to women the right to live in a violence-
free home through the “Stop Violence” orders passed by the Magistrate.
The Act does not create any new right and all the existing laws continue to
10
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apply. The woman facing domestic violence can ask for the reliefs provided
under this Act in any other legal proceeding pending before the Court e.g. in
a petition for divorce or maintenance or under section 498A of the Indian
Penal Code or approach the Court directly for an order under this law.
Who can lodge a complaint under the Act?
Any woman who is in a domestic relationship and has lived in a shared
household with the perpetrator of violence [Section 2(a)]. This includes
mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, widows, daughters-in-law, women who
are in bigamous or fraudulent marriages, women in relationships that are in
the nature of marriage etc. Complaints can be lodged on behalf of children
(both male & female).
Who are the persons against whom a complaint can be lodged?
Against any adult male member with whom the woman has been in a domestic
relationship. An aggrieved woman can also lodge a complaint against any
relative of the husband, including his female relatives if they perpetrate or
are involved in the acts of violence committed. However, there can be no
eviction from the shared household but there can be “stop violence” protection
order, Compensation order, an order for monetary relief excluding
maintenance, custody order against the female members even if they are
perpetrators of violence under this law.
Who is a Protection Officer (PO)?
An officer under this Act to facilitate the aggrieved woman get relief from the
court, to help the woman make an application to the Magistrate, to help her
in obtaining legal aid, to provide her a list of service providers, to assist the
Magistrate in discharge of his functions. It is important for you to know that
you don’t need a PO to go to the Magistrate’s Court. You can approach the
Magistrate directly.
Who is a Service Provider?
Service providers are the NGOs registered under the Act to provide medical
facility, shelter homes, etc. to the woman facing domestic violence. It is
important for you to remember that you don’t have to go through an NGO to
go to the Court. You can file a complaint directly in the Court.
To whom can a complaint of domestic violence be made?
An aggrieved woman has several options. She can lodge a complaint under
PWDVA:–
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 ">å¹o>

y Directly with the Police who will forward it to the Magistrate.

y Directly with the Magistrate as an Application for relief.
y With the Protection Officer (PO) as a DIR, who will forward it to the
Magistrate.
y With the Service Provider as a DIR, who will forward it to the Magistrate
and PO.
Again it is important to remember that all these options are available to
a woman facing violence and she can opt for any one of them.
What is a Domestic Incident Report (DIR)?
Domestic Incident Report (DIR) is the official standard format in which a
complaint of domestic violence can be made. Even if a woman does not
want to apply for an order it is important that a complaint is lodged as a DIR
can be used as evidence of domestic violence when making an application
asking for reliefs (for eg. “Stop Violence” Orders) to the Magistrate later.
What rights and remedies is an aggrieved woman entitled to under the
PWDVA? What can a woman get by filing a complaint under this law?
A woman can get reliefs from the court. This includes much needed support
and compensation.
The orders the court can direct are as follows:
1. Protection Order [Section 18]
This can also be termed as a “stop violence” order. Through this order the
court can direct the other party to immediately stop the acts of violence.
The following incidents can also be prevented through the “Protection Orders”:
a] Preventing the perpetrator from entering the woman’s place of
employment and causing harassment.
b] Preventing any communication with the woman from the perpetrator.
c] Preventing any violence being caused to a person related to the
woman.
d] Preventing any financial action from being taken by the perpetrator to
the woman’s detriment.
2. Residence Order [Section 19]
A residence order may be passed by the court in cases where the woman
apprehends being thrown out of the house (shared household) or in cases
where she has been thrown out and wants to return to her house. The aim of
this order

12
">å¹o>

is to ensure that women have a shelter that is safe. In cases where a woman
does not feel safe living with the male perpetrator of violence, she can apply
for an order seeking his removal from the shared household. Or else the
court can direct the perpetrator to provide alternate accommodation for the
woman. No orders for removal from a shared household can be obtained
against female relatives under the PWDVA.
3. Monetary relief [Section 20]
This order can be sought to meet any expenses the woman may have incurred
as a result of the violence faced. This may include payment of medical bills,
any loss of belongings, etc. Married women or women living in the nature of
marriages can also claim maintenance from the husband/ male partner. The
amount claimed under this provision is to take care of actual expenditure
incurred by the woman.
4. Compensation Order [Section 22]
A compensation order can be asked for by the woman for injuries (mental
and physical) sustained. This is over and above the actual expenditure that
can be obtained by a monetary order explained above.
5. Custody Order [Section 21]
A woman can also ask for temporary custody orders for her children. This is
to prevent the woman from being separated from her children, which itself is
a form of emotional abuse and blackmail.
This order is temporary in nature and does not affect rights under existing
laws on custody and guardianship.
6. Interim / Ex parte Order [Section 23]
An interim order can be given by the court at the time the proceedings are
initiated under the PWDVA and before a final
order is passed. This is to ensure that women are not detrimentally affected
during the course of the legal proceedings. In order to get interim orders, a
woman has to show that she has or she is facing violence, or fears violence.
An ex parte order means an order that is passed in the absence of the other
party to the dispute. Such orders are interim in nature and passed only if
there is an immediate danger to the person making the application or when
the other party refuses to appear in court despite prior intimation given by
the court. E.g. Sylvie has filed an application in court for a “stop violence”
order against her brother, Edward who has been beating her. The threat to
her life and safety is so severe

13
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that she needs an immediate order. The court can then pass an exparte
“stop violence” order against him even without hearing him. The order will
be served on him along with the application. He will of course have the right
to be then heard and ask for the order to be vacated (i.e. direction by the
court to bring the order to an end).
Can a woman continue to use Section 498A IPC?
In addition to the above reliefs, under the Act a woman can also file criminal
complaints under criminal law (Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code)
seeking the arrest of the perpetrator of violence, under the circumstances
mentioned therein [Section 5(e)]. The decision of whether to go under the
new law or S. 498A IPC is that of the woman and depends on her goals.
How can a woman get the orders from the court?
Step 1- Information [Section 4].
A woman or any person on her behalf can give information of domestic
violence to the P.O. or to the Police. If the informant is not the woman who is
facing domestic violence, he/she must sign the information provided.
1. Information (S. 4) | To the P.O.
| To the Police
(Must be reduced into writing. If informant not the woman, must identify
himself)
A complaint can be filed based on the information provided only if the woman
herself wants to initiate legal proceedings.
Step 2- Complaint [Section 5, Rule 5 & Form I].
A woman can lodge a complaint of domestic violence with the Protection
Officer (P.O.), the Service Provider (S.P.), the Police or directly with the
Magistrate.
This complaint is made in the form of a Domestic Incident Report. (If a
woman wants to file a complaint under criminal law, she has to lodge an
FIR. But since this Act is a civil law, she must file her complaint as a Domestic
Incident Report). A Domestic Incident Report (DIR) is the official format in
which the complaint will be registered. This is an extremely simple format,
which is available in Form I in the Rules of the Act. A woman can get this
Form I from police stations, POs or SPs and fill it herself.
If the woman cannot fill the Form herself, the P.O., S.P. or Police will convert
her complaint into this Form I as a DIR and explain the contents to her.
The P.O., S.P. or Police will then send the complaint (DIR) to the Magistrate/

14
">å¹o>

court.
2. Complaint (to be converted into DIR as provided in Form I of Rules)
Aggrieved Person | To the P.O. | To Magistrate
Aggrieved Person | To the S. P. | To the P.O. | To Magistrate
Aggrieved Person | To the Police | To Magistrate
Aggrieved Person | To Magistrate
Step 3- Application [Section 12]
An application for reliefs under PWDVA to the Magistrate can be made by:
a. The woman herself, directly to the court.
b. The PO on behalf of the woman, if she consents.
c. Any person on behalf of the woman, if she consents.
An application asking for reliefs (orders passed by court) can also be filed in
existing legal proceedings i.e. divorce cases, maintenance cases etc.
E.g. If there is a pending divorce case between a woman and her husband
and she has been facing violence from him, she can ask for a Protection
Order in the divorce proceeding itself. She doesn’t have to separately
approach a Magistrate under PWDVA.
Step 4 – Proceedings in court.
After the filing of application for reliefs before the court, the following can
take place:
a. The Court shall then fix the next date of hearing in the case for three days
after the application has been filed [S. 12(4)].
b. In case the woman is facing grave danger, the court can pass an ex parte
interim order in her favor and then fix the next date of hearing.
c. The other party shall get notice of the proceedings within 3 days and
asked to attend court [S. 13].
d. In case, the other party does not appear before the court on the date
mentioned, the court can pass an ex parte order in favor of the woman [S.
23(2)].
e. The court can also pass an interim order in favor of the woman [S. 23(1)].
f. The other party shall be directed to respond to the woman’s application in
writing, i.e. by filing a “written statement”. After the filing of the written
statement, the parties shall be directed to present evidence and argue their
case in court.
g. At any stage of proceedings before the court, the court can direct counseling

15
 ">å¹o>

of either/both parties [S. 14]. The court can at any stage take the assistance
of family welfare experts [S. 15]. The objective of the counseling is to prevent
any further acts of violence from being committed [R. 14(4)]. A settlement
can also be attempted at by the counselor, only if the woman requests for
the same [R.14 (7)].
h. If a case of domestic violence is proved, the court can pass an order
providing the woman with the relief she had asked for in the application.
The entire court proceedings should be completed within 60 days of filing
the application [S.12 (5)].
Proceedings in the Court (To be disposed off in 60 days)
Step 5- Passing of order.
Within 60 days of the filing of the application, the court can pass the orders
asked for by the woman. In case the court thinks that there is the need for
any other kind of direction to make sure that the violence is stopped, it can
also give such kind of direction in addition to the orders that she had asked
for in the application.
Step 6- Discharge/ Alteration/ Modification of order.
The order passed by the court will continue to be in force till the woman
herself files another application asking the court to discharge the order, as
explained above.
E.g. Asma has successfully got a Custody Order from the court for temporary
custody of her son. But in the meantime, there was also pending litigation for
permanent custody under guardianship law. The court in that case has given
her permanent custody of her son. She can now go to court and ask for
discharge of the temporary custody order under PWDVA. Either party can
also ask for alteration or modification of the orders passed by the court.
Step 7- Appeal [S. 29]
Either party can appeal against the order passed by the court to a higher
court within 30 days from the date on which they received official information
of the order.
Step 8 Violation of Order of Court [S. 31]
If the order passed by court is violated by the other party, a woman can
report to the PO and then file a complaint before the court. The violator can
be immediately arrested, as it is a criminal offence.

16
">å¹o>

Can there be any arrests under this law?

As this is a civil law there can be no arrests pursuant to the filing of a complaint.
Arrests can take place when an order of the court is violated, as violation of
a court order is a cognizable offence. For arrests to take place the aggrieved
woman will have to file an affidavit drawing the attention of the court to the
fact of the breach and its nature.
The Act provides for a two-stage procedure:
Firstly, An aggrieved woman can get the various orders mentioned above.
1st Stage

Interim /
Application to Permanent
Magistrate for Æ Orders
Relief passed by
Magistrate
Secondly, where the civil orders passed by the Magistrate is violated by the
perpetrator, it becomes a criminal offence and the person can be punished
with imprisonment up to 1 year and/or fine of up to Rs. 20,000/-.
Therefore, if and only if the civil orders passed by the court are violated by a
person, he can be arrested under the Act and in no other circumstance. The
court can also initiate proceedings under criminal law, i.e. Section 498A of
the IPC in addition to the above [Section 31(3)].
2nd Stage (Criminal Offence)
An offence is Conviction and
committed Imprisonment upto
Violation of [Section
Civil orders Æ Æ 1yr. and / or fine up to
31(1)] and Rs. 20,000 (Arrest of
by the person cognizance is the person), If there is
taken of the no conviction there will
alleged offence be an acquittal
What if the woman or the other party is not satisfied with the order that
is received?
In such cases either party may appeal against the order in the higher court. If

17
 ">å¹o>
the application has been filed in the Magistrate’s court then the appeal shall
lie before the Session’s Court. All appeals have to be filed within a period of
30 days from the date on which either of the parties gets to officially know of
the order [Section 29].
What is the scope of counseling under the PWDVA?
Under the PWDVA, either of the parties can be directed to undergo counseling
by the court. There can be no counseling, after the application has been
filed, without an order from the court.
A counselor shall be appointed from the “List of counselors” prepared by the
Protection Officer. This list will comprise of representatives from registered
service providers or other organizations who have experience in providing
counseling [R. 8(viii), (ix), (x)].
The objective of counseling is to get an undertaking from the perpetrator to
stop the violence and harassment. The perpetrator of violence will not be
allowed to justify his acts of violence at the stage of counseling [R. 14(4),
(5)].
If the woman wants, then she can request the counselor to settle the matter
[R.14(7)].
If the settlement is arrived at, then the counselor will go back to the court
with the terms of settlement. The court then shall satisfy itself that the
settlement has not been forced on the woman. Once the court has satisfied
itself, the court can uphold the settlement and pass appropriate orders [R.
14(13), (14)].
What can a woman do to get relief from court if there is no Protection
Officer or registered SP in her area?
A woman can go to the police to file a criminal complaint under Section
498A of the IPC.
She can also request the police to record a DIR under PWDVA at the same
time and forward the same to the Magistrate.
If the police refuse to file a FIR or a DIR then the woman can directly approach
the Magistrate’s court with the following:
• A “private complaint” requesting the court to direct the police to register the
FIR. And / Or
• She can file an application under the PWDVA. For this she can fill a DIR
herself and attach it to her application. If the woman already has a pending
case, then she can fill in an application under the PWDVA and file it as an
“Interim
18
">å¹o>

Application” in the pending proceedings.

E.g.- Savitri has filed a civil case for injunction against her husband, preventing
him from throwing her out of the shared household. This case is pending in
court. If she faces domestic violence from him while the case is going on,
she can fill out an application form under the PWDVA for a residence order
and file it in court as an “interim application”.
List of Protection Officers and Service Providers and their contact details.
Contact the State Women and Child Development Department for details.

© Lawyers Collective Compilation ©CWSD

Women’s Rights Initiative Tinsukia College
2007 November 2010

For queries relating to Domestic Violence

Contact: lawyerscollective.wri@gmail.com
Supported by UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women / UNIFEM
Address: 63/2, Masjid Road, Jangpura, New Delhi-110014
# (011) 24373904, 24372923
www.lawyerscollective.org

I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do
something. – Helen Keller

19
 ">å¹o>

Gender equality is not just a w men’s issue... its a

pe ple’s issue !

We respect men who respect women ! =

M≡N of quality are not afraid of ≡quality.

We need a movement of men towards family kitchens.

20
 For Every Woman
For every woman who is tired of acting weak
When she knows she is strong.
There is a man who is tired of appearing strong
When he feels vulnerable.
For every woman who is tired of being called
‘an emotional female’
There is a man who is denied the right to weep and be
gentle.
For every woman who feels ‘tied down’ by her children,
There is a man who is denied the full pleasure of
parenthood.
For every woman who takes a step towards her own
liberation,
There is a man who finds that the way to freedom
has been made a little easier.

– Nancy R. Smith

Source : Exploring Masculinity by Kamala Bhasin.