Domestic Violence Act — Landmark Judgments
Landmark Judgments
S.R. Batra v. Smt. Taruna Batra
2000This Supreme Court judgment, though preceding the PWDVA, significantly influenced the legislative intent behind the 'shared household' concept. The Court held that a wife has no…
Vandana v. T. Srikanth
2007This case clarified that the PWDVA 2005 is not limited to married women but extends to women in 'relationships in the nature of marriage', i.e., live-in relationships. The Delhi…
Indra Sarma v. V.K.V. Sarma
2013While affirming that live-in relationships are covered, the Supreme Court laid down specific guidelines to determine if a relationship qualifies as 'in the nature of marriage'…
Hiral P. Harsora v. Kusum Narottamdas Harsora
2016This landmark Supreme Court judgment struck down the words 'adult male' from the definition of 'respondent' in Section 2(q) of the PWDVA. This meant that women relatives, such as…
Satish Chander Ahuja v. Sneha Ahuja
2020The Supreme Court revisited the concept of 'shared household' and clarified that even if the property is exclusively owned by the husband's parents, the wife has a right to reside…
Ajay Kumar v. State of Uttar Pradesh
2021The Allahabad High Court ruled that a protection order under the PWDVA can be issued even if the domestic relationship has ceased, provided the violence occurred during the…
Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan
1997While not directly related to PWDVA, the *Vishaka Guidelines* are foundational to the broader legal framework for women's rights in India. They established the principle of…
Krishna Bhatacharjee v. Sarathi Choudhury
2016The Supreme Court clarified that the limitation period for filing an application under Section 12 of the PWDVA is not strictly three years, as is often misunderstood. The Court…