Abuse has many forms
Physical, sexual, verbal and emotional, and economic abuse (taking your salary, stopping money for food or rent, selling your things). Dowry harassment counts too.
PWDVA 2005, s.3Know your rights
Domestic violence: the help path
If you are in danger now, call 112. Abuse is not only hitting: it includes threats, insults, forcing sex, and keeping money or the house from you. The law gives quick, civil protection and a right to stay in the home.
Last updated: Reviewed by IndiaDigital editorsSources
In 30 seconds
Call 181 (women helpline) or 112 in danger. A One Stop Centre (Sakhi) in your district gives shelter, medical help, counselling and legal aid in one place. The Protection Officer helps you file a Domestic Incident Report and an application to the Magistrate for a protection order, a residence order (you cannot be thrown out of the shared home) and money for expenses. You can also file a police complaint.
Call for help
Your rights
Who is protected
A woman living, or who has lived, in a shared household with the abuser in a relationship of marriage, a relationship like marriage (live-in), blood or adoption: wife, partner, mother, sister, daughter, widow.
s.2(a), 2(f)Right to stay in the shared home
You cannot be evicted from the shared household except by law, whether or not you own any part of it.
s.17, 19Orders the Magistrate can pass
Protection order (stop the violence, stop contact), residence order, monetary relief (expenses, lost earnings, medical costs, maintenance), temporary custody of children, and compensation. Interim orders can be passed quickly, even before hearing the other side.
s.18 to 23Time limits
The first hearing is usually within 3 days of the application, and the case should be decided within 60 days of the first hearing.
s.12(4), 12(5)Criminal law too
Cruelty by husband or relatives is a crime under BNS 85 (old IPC 498A). Dowry death is BNS 80. Breaking a protection order is a separate offence.
BNS 85, 80; PWDVA s.31What to do, step by step
In danger now: call 112
Go to a safe place: a neighbour, relative, or the nearest police station.
Call 181 or reach a One Stop Centre
181 connects you to help 24 hours. The district One Stop Centre (Sakhi) gives shelter, medical aid, counselling and legal help, free.
Meet the Protection Officer
Every district has one (often in the Women and Child Development office). They help write the Domestic Incident Report and take it to the Magistrate.
Apply to the Magistrate
Ask for the orders you need: protection, residence, money, custody. Free legal aid (15100) can give you a lawyer.
Keep a small safety kit
Copies of ID, bank and property papers, medicines, a charged phone, some cash, and important numbers, kept with someone you trust.
Letters and tools that help
Old section to new section
The new criminal laws apply from 1 July 2024. Older cases continue under the old sections.
| Old (IPC/CrPC) | Now (BNS/BNSS) | About |
|---|---|---|
| IPC 498A | BNS 85, 86 | Cruelty by husband or relatives |
| IPC 304B | BNS 80 | Dowry death |
| IPC 354A | BNS 75 | Sexual harassment |
This is general information, not legal advice. Laws and state rules change; check the official source or ask a lawyer. Free legal aid: call NALSA 15100 or visit your District Legal Services Authority.
Questions people ask
Do I need to file a police case to get protection?
No. The PWDVA is a civil remedy: you can go to the Magistrate through the Protection Officer or a lawyer without a criminal case. You can also do both.
Can I get help if I left the house?
Yes. The law covers women who have lived in the shared household, and the Magistrate can order you back into the home or order rent for another place.
Is my information kept private?
Proceedings can be held in camera if you ask. Helplines and One Stop Centres keep your details confidential.
Sources
Last checked: