SC notice to Centre on PIL seeking infrastructure facilities for women facing domestic violence

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the Centre on a plea seeking adequate infrastructure across the country for providing effective legal aid to women abused in matrimonial homes and creating shelter homes for them.

A bench of Justices U U Lalit and Justice S Ravindra Bhat issued notices to the Union of India, Ministry of Women & Child Development and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and sought their response by December 6.

"As of now we will issue notice to respondents 1 to 3. We are not issuing notice to states else it will become a jamboree. We will then put the case in the basket of Central government for monitoring," the court said.

The top court was hearing a PIL filed by an unregistered organisation, "We The Women of India" seeking adequate infrastructure under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act across the country for providing effective legal aid to women abused in matrimonial homes and creating shelter homes for them post lodging of complaints against husbands and in laws.

The plea said domestic violence continues to be the most common crime against women in India despite the Domestic Violence Act, 2005 coming into force more than 15 years back.

"As per the National Crime Records Bureau report for the year 2019, out of 4.05 lakh reported cases categorised under 'crimes against women', over 30 per cent were domestic violence cases," the plea said.

Referring to findings of the National Family Health Survey, the plea said about 86 per cent of the women victims of domestic violence never seek help.

The PIL has made Centre, all states and Union Territories as parties in the case.