The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005
The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 has been legislated with the aim to provide for more effective protection of the rights of women guaranteed under the Constitution who are victims of violence of any kind occurring within the family and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. The Act provides that any act, omission or commission or conduct shall constitute domestic violence in case it (a) harms or injures or endangers the health, safety, life, limb or well-being, whether mental or physical, of the aggrieved person or tends to do so and includes causing physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal and emotional abuse and economic abuse; or (b) harasses, harms, injures or endangers the aggrieved person with a view to coerce her or any other person related to her to meet any unlawful demand for any dowry or other property or valuable security; or (c) has the effect of threatening the aggrieved person or any person related to her by any conduct mentioned above; or (d) otherwise injures or causes harm, whether physical or mental, to the aggrieved person. An aggrieved person means any woman who has been in a domestic relationship with the accused person and who alleges to have been subjected to any act of domestic violence by any person.
