A Bill to protect the rights of women who are victims of violence of any kind occurring within the family and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Be it enacted by Parliament in the Fifty-second year of the Republic of India as follows -

CHAPTER 1

PRELIMINARY

 1. Short title, extent and commencement.

(1) This Act may be called the Protection from Domestic Violence Act, 2001.

 (2) It extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

 (3) It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.

2. Definitions.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-

(a) “aggrieved person” means any woman who is or has been a relative of the respondent and who alleges to have been subjected to acts of domestic violence by the respondent;

(b) “domestic violence” has the same meaning assigned to it as in section 4; 

(c) “Magistrate” means the Judicial Magistrate of the first class or the Metropolitan Magistrate, as the case may be, exercising jurisdiction under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 in the area where the aggrieved person resides;

(d) “monetary relief” means compensation which a Magistrate may order at any stage during the hearing of application seeking a protection order, to meet the expenses incurred and losses suffered by the aggrieved person as a result of the domestic violence; 

(e) “notification” means a notification published in the Official Gazette;

(f) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act; 

(g) “protection officer” means an officer appointed by State Government under Section 5;

(h) “protection order” means an order made under section 14; 

(i)  “relative” includes any person related by blood, marriage or adoption and living with the  respondent;

(j) “respondent” means any person who is or has been a relative of the aggrieved person and against whom the aggrieved person has sought monetary relief or has made an application for protection order to the Magistrate or to the Protection Officer, as the case may be; and

(k) “service provider” means any voluntary association registered under the Companies Act, 1956 or any other law for the time being in force with the objective of protecting the rights and interests of women by any means including legal aid, medical, financial or other assistance.

3.  Act not in derogation of any other law.

The provision of this Act shall be in addition to, and not in derogation of the provisions of any other law, for the time being in force.