Thursday, 9 January 2025

Domestic Violence Act Cases Have No Penal Consequence Except For Breach Of Protection Order: Supreme Court Criticises Issuance Of Bailable Warrants

Learned counsel representing the petitioner

submits that the petitioner is having a specially

abled minor son who is suffering from hearing

impairment. She is unemployed and is fully

dependent on her father for her survival. It is

further pointed out that the Court below has issued

bailable warrants against the petitioner vide order

dated 06.02.2024.

This Court is constrained to observe that there

is no justification whatsoever for the Trial Court

to have issued bailable warrants in an application

filed under the provisions of the D.V. Act. The

proceedings under the D.V. Act are quasi criminal

proceedings which do not have any penal consequence

except where there is a violation or breach of a

protection order. Therefore, the learned Magistrate

was absolutely unjustified in directing issuance of

bailable warrants against the petitioner.

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

CRIMINAL ORIGINAL JURISDICTION

TRANSFER PETITION (CRIMINAL) NO.856/2024

ALISHA BERRY  Vs  NEELAM BERRY 

Dated: JANUARY 03, 2025.

The present transfer petition has been filed

by the petitioner(Daughter-in-law of the sole

respondent) seeking transfer of the case bearing MC

No. 825 of 2023 filed by the respondent(Mother-inlaw) under the provisions of the Protection of

Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005(for short,

‘the D.V. Act’), titled as “Neelam Berry Vs. Alisha

Berry”(subject-case), pending in the Court of

Metropolitan Magistrate, Mahila Court-05, West, Tis

Hazari Courts, Delhi to the Court of Chief Judicial

Magistrate, Ludhiana, Punjab.

Despite service of notice upon the sole

respondent, no one has entered appearance on her

behalf so far.

Heard learned counsel for the petitioner.

Learned counsel representing the petitioner

submits that the petitioner is having a specially

abled minor son who is suffering from hearing

impairment. She is unemployed and is fully

dependent on her father for her survival. It is

further pointed out that the Court below has issued

bailable warrants against the petitioner vide order

dated 06.02.2024.

This Court is constrained to observe that there

is no justification whatsoever for the Trial Court

to have issued bailable warrants in an application

filed under the provisions of the D.V. Act. The

proceedings under the D.V. Act are quasi criminal

proceedings which do not have any penal consequence

except where there is a violation or breach of a

protection order. Therefore, the learned Magistrate

was absolutely unjustified in directing issuance of

bailable warrants against the petitioner.

Having considered the submissions advanced

by learned counsel for the petitioner and after

going through the material available on record and

considering the fact that the proceedings of the

divorce petition filed by the husband of the

petitioner have already been transferred by this

Court from Family Court, West, Tis Hazari, New

Delhi to Family Court, Ludhiana District Court,

Punjab vide order dated 14.08.2024 passed in

Transfer Petition(Civil) No. 1506 of 2024, the

instant transfer petition stands allowed in the

terms prayed for.

The Court where proceedings are pending

shall transfer the records to the transferee Court

promptly and without any delay.

If video conferencing facility is available

with the transferee Court, the benefit of the same

shall be extended to the parties.

A copy of this order be sent to the concerned

courts for compliance.

Pending application(s), if any, shall stand

disposed of.

…………………………………………………...J.

 [SANDEEP MEHTA]

NEW DELHI;

JANUARY 03, 2025.


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