Domestic Violence Act covers women

By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad,June 2: The AP High Court said on Tuesday that women can be booked under the Domestic Violence Act if there was a specific complaint against them.

A division bench of Justice A. Gopal Reddy and Justice K.C. Bhanu said the mother-in-law and sister-in law of a victim come under the purview of the Act. There would be no specific exemption for women.

The judges were ruling on a petition filed by Ms Moon Moon Maharana of Visakhapatnam. Earlier, a single judge of the AP High Court had ruled that women cannot be booked under the Act.

Ms Moon Moon said she had fallen in love with Mr Umesh Prasad Maharana and married him in 2004. Mr Prasad was working in Malaysia and, after the marriage, she joined him there.

Her in-laws were opposed to the marriage and started harassing her for dowry. Her husband joined forces with them, said Ms Moon Moon, who lodged a DV Act complaint against the husband and in-laws.

Her mother-in-law moved the HC to quash the proceedings against her, and obtained a stay. Ms Moon Moon then appealed to the HC.