AHMEDABAD: Seeking refuge from years of alleged abuse and harassment, a woman in Dhandhuka turned to the courts to protect herself and her son. Her persistence paid off as a judge barred her husband and in-laws from coming within 500 metres of her residence.
The directive, issued by the principal senior civil judge at Dhandhuka, also prevents the husband, his mother and his sister from approaching or contacting the woman, who now lives with her son in Dhandhuka town.
The court order stipulates, “Under the provisions of Section 18 of the Domestic Violence Act, the opponents are ordered not to commit or attempt to commit any domestic violence against the complainant, and not to enter the area within 500 metres of the complainant’s residence, and they shall not communicate with her.”
According to case details, the 28-year-old woman married the man from Ghodasar area of Ahmedabad in Feb 2014. The couple had a son, but tensions escalated, leading the woman to leave her matrimonial home in June 2020 and move in with her parents. She later sought Rs 14,000 monthly maintenance for herself and her child, which the court granted.
In 2021, the woman filed a case under the Domestic Violence Act, accusing her husband and in-laws of physical and mental harassment, along with making dowry demands. She explicitly stated her unwillingness to return to her husband’s home due to domestic violence, asserting that her husband’s behaviour would cause further distress.
Besides maintenance, she requested restraining orders preventing her husband and in-laws from approaching her and her son, prohibiting contact, and preventing them from disposing of their properties.
The husband contested the complaint, claiming false accusations, but the court dismissed his defence.
“Considering the present situation in India, no woman would leave her matrimonial home without any valid reason, and that she would state falsehood about her in-laws on oath,” the court observed.
Given her residence in Dhandhuka, the court acknowledged that “if asked to live with her in-laws in a shared household, the possibility of it resulting in more litigation cannot be denied.”
Consequently, the court ordered the husband to provide Rs 1,000 towards house rent and return their son’s original documents within 15 days.
However, as she receives Rs 14,000 monthly maintenance under a previous court order, the court dismissed her maintenance request under the DV Act.
