In a clear ruling on how remedies under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 interact with the Family Courts Act, the Chhattisgarh High Court has upheld a Family Court order that returned a fresh Section 12 application to the applicant for presentation before the competent Magistrate. The judgment, authored by Justice L.C. Bhadoo, resolves an important procedural question: when and how an aggrieved person may seek relief under the Act in family-court proceedings.
The facts are straightforward but poignant. Smt. Neetu Singh petitioned the Family Court in Bilaspur on 13 June 2006, framing her grievance under Section 12 of the Domestic Violence Act. She alleged sustained cruelty and harassment by her husband and in-laws after marriage, claimed recovery of dowry articles and wedding-related expenses, and sought monetary compensation for the alleged mistreatment. Earlier, maintenance proceedings had been initiated under Section 125 Cr.P.C., which were transferred to the Family Court; that court had granted interim maintenance of Rs. 1,500 per month.
The Family Court judge took a procedural view. On 15 June 2006, observing that Section 12 applications must be presented to a Magistrate, the Family Court returned the Section 12 petition and directed that the matter be filed before the court of competent jurisdiction. The Family Court reasoned that the specific procedural and time-sensitive duties placed on the Magistrate by Section 12 including a first hearing ordinarily within three days and disposal targets meant Section 12 proceedings belong before a Magistrate.
Smt. Singh appealed under Section 19(1) of the Family Courts Act, 1984. The High Court, after hearing counsel for both sides, examined Sections 12 and 26 of the Domestic Violence Act closely. Section 12 provides the primary route to immediate protective and compensatory relief before a Magistrate, with express statutory time limits for hearings and disposal. Section 26, however, was crafted to give aggrieved persons flexibility: it allows reliefs enumerated in Sections 18–22 to be sought in other legal proceedings civil, criminal or family that already involve the same parties.
Justice Bhadoo’s judgment reconciles these provisions. The court confirmed that while Section 26 empowers an aggrieved person to seek domestic-violence relief within pending family-court proceedings, it does not convert an independent Section 12 application into a Family Court matter. If an applicant chooses to pursue statutory remedies through Section 12, the application must be presented to the Magistrate. Conversely, where there are existing family proceedings, an aggrieved person may invoke Section 26 to seek the same reliefs as part of those proceedings. The High Court therefore dismissed the appeal but noted that the appellant retained the option of invoking Section 26 within the maintenance proceedings already before the Family Court.
The ruling is significant for practitioners and litigants because it preserves the distinct, expedited nature of Section 12 proceedings designed for swift protective orders while also recognizing Section 26 as a practical vehicle to consolidate domestic-violence remedies into ongoing litigation. In effect, the court drew a procedural boundary: independent Section 12 petitions belong to Magistrates; Section 26 is the route for raising DV Act reliefs within other forums.
This decision clarifies a recurring procedural dilemma and should guide petitions and drafting practice going forward: litigants seeking emergency or standalone relief under the Act should approach the Magistrate under Section 12; those who prefer to resolve domestic-violence claims within family or civil litigation must expressly invoke Section 26.
Case Title : Neetu Singh vs. Sunil Singh (28.09.2007)
Hon’ble Judges/Coram:
L.C. Bhadoo and Sunil Kumar Sinha, JJ.
Relevant Section:
PROTECTION OF WOMEN FROM DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ACT, 2005 – Section 12; PROTECTION OF WOMEN FROM DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ACT, 2005 – Section 19, PROTECTION OF WOMEN FROM DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ACT, 2005 – Section 26
Acts/Rules/Orders:
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (CrPC) – Section 125; Constitution Of India – Article 14, Constitution Of India – Article 15, Constitution Of India – Article 21; Indian Penal Code 1860, (IPC) – Section 498A; Protection Of Women From Domestic Violence Act, 2005 – Section 12, Protection Of Women From Domestic Violence Act, 2005 – Section 18, Protection Of Women From Domestic Violence Act, 2005 – Section 19, Protection Of Women From Domestic Violence Act, 2005 – Section 2(a), Protection Of Women From Domestic Violence Act, 2005 – Section 20, Protection Of Women From Domestic Violence Act, 2005 – Section 21, Protection Of Women From Domestic Violence Act, 2005 – Section 22, Protection Of Women From Domestic Violence Act, 2005 – Section 26, Protection Of Women From Domestic Violence Act, 2005 – Section 3
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परिवार – भरण-पोषण – अधिकार क्षेत्र
संबंधित प्रावधान: घरेलू हिंसा से महिलाओं का संरक्षण अधिनियम, 2005 की धारा 12, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 और 26 तथा परिवार न्यायालय अधिनियम, 1984 की धारा 7 और 19
अपीलकर्ता (पत्नी) ने घरेलू हिंसा अधिनियम, 2005 की धारा 12 के अंतर्गत धारा 7, परिवार न्यायालय अधिनियम, 1984 के साथ पठित, परिवार न्यायालय बिलासपुर में एक आवेदन प्रस्तुत किया। परिवार न्यायालय ने यह कहते हुए आवेदन वापस कर दिया कि उक्त आवेदन मजिस्ट्रेट के समक्ष प्रस्तुत किया जाना चाहिए। इस आदेश के विरुद्ध अपीलकर्ता ने परिवार न्यायालय अधिनियम की धारा 19(1) के अंतर्गत वर्तमान अपील दायर की।
निर्णय:
न्यायालय ने यह स्पष्ट किया कि घरेलू हिंसा अधिनियम, 2005 की धारा 26, पीड़ित महिला को यह स्वतंत्रता प्रदान करती है कि वह अधिनियम की धारा 18, 19, 20, 21 और 22 के अंतर्गत मिलने वाली राहत, यदि कोई भरण-पोषण संबंधी वाद परिवार न्यायालय में लंबित है, तो उसी में मांग सकती है। परंतु ऐसी याचिका धारा 26 के अंतर्गत, उस धारा के साथ जिसमें राहत मांगी जा रही है, दायर की जानी चाहिए।
वर्तमान मामले में अपीलकर्ता ने सीधे धारा 12 के अंतर्गत आवेदन प्रस्तुत किया था, जो कि विधिक रूप से केवल मजिस्ट्रेट के समक्ष ही विचारणीय है। अतः परिवार न्यायालय द्वारा आवेदन लौटाने का आदेश विधिसंगत पाया गया और उसमें किसी प्रकार की त्रुटि नहीं मानी गई।
परिणाम: अपील निरस्त।
निष्कर्ष: यदि कोई महिला घरेलू हिंसा अधिनियम, 2005 के तहत राहत चाहती है, तो वह या तो मजिस्ट्रेट के समक्ष धारा 12 के अंतर्गत आवेदन कर सकती है, या फिर यदि परिवार न्यायालय में कोई वाद लंबित है, तो धारा 26 के तहत उसी में राहत मांग सकती है।
