CHENNAI: Increasing awareness about the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 has encouraged more and more victims to seek relief under the legislation, which has led to a whopping 464 per cent rise in the number of petitions received under the statute in Tamil Nadu.According to statistics from the State Social Welfare Department, the number of petitions preferred under the legislation has risen steadily over the years. From 733 petitions in 2007, the number of complaints went up to as high as 4,136 in 2010. Last year, there was a marginal decline and the number of petitions received stood at 3,983. Of these, 1252 complaints were registered as cases in courts, 94 were referred for counselling under section 14 of the PWDV Act, while in 344 cases, judgements have been pronounced. Speaking to Express about the trend, eminent lawyer and rights activist Sudha Ramalingam cited increasing awareness as a prominent reason for the rise in the number of petitions received under the Act. “It is a statute that provides comprehensive relief to victims starting from maintenance to orders for residence and protection, besides damages. Through a single petition and in the same forum [court], relief can be sought for a host of issues,” she pointed out. Although there are several legislations like the Guardians and Wards Act, besides remedy under the Criminal Procedure Code (Section 125), the Domestic Violence Act is preferred since getting relief under this Act is comparatively quicker.“It stipulates that applications should be disposed off within 60 days.” The lawyer said that orders relating to protection, maintenance and residence are most sought after. “Injunctions, return of property are also covered under this Act,” she added.
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