IMPORTANT POINT
No time limit is fixed for filing of proceeding under Section 12 of Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 and what is required is to show that applicant is aggrieved person as defined under the Act.

T.V. Nalawade, J.— The first proceeding is filed for quashing and setting aside the proceeding of Criminal Misc. Application No. 176/2011 which is pending in the Court of JMFC, Bhusawal, Dist. Jalgaon. The said proceeding is filed for some reliefs under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, by respondent No.1.

2. The second proceeding is filed for the relief of quashing and setting aside the proceeding of R.C.C. No. 107/11 which is pending before JMFC, Bhusawal and which is filed by police for offence punishable u/s 498A, 323, 504, 506 r/w 34 of IPC. After investigation of the crime u/s 156(3) of Cr.P.C. on private complaint filed by respondent No.1, charge sheet is filed by police. Both sides are heard.

3. In respect of first proceeding, it was submitted by learned counsel for petitioner that as per the record, respondent No. 1 was living separate from her husband for more than 4 years and so, learned JMFC ought not to have entertained the proceeding. He placed reliance on some observations made by this Court in the case reported as Sejal Dharmesh Ved v. State of Maharashtra & Others, 2013(3) LJSOFT 48. This Court has carefully gone through facts of this reported case and observations made. The marriage between the parties had taken place in the year 1999 and wife had returned to India in the year 2009. She filed application under aforesaid Act in the year 2010 and in view of facts of that case, the Court held that such proceeding ought to have been filed within reasonable time and Court held that the application was not tenable. The facts of the present case are not that similar. There are allegations in respect of ill-treatment given to respondent in Surat and there are allegations that the husband that he had left respondent No. I to her parents house as he wanted to desert her. It is her case that no provision was made for her maintenance and she has no source of income. It is her case that ill-treatment was given to her as the husband and his relatives were not satisfied with the dowry given at the time of marriage and the husband wanted Rs. 2 lakh more. She could not conceive even after 10 years of marriage and so, husband wanted to marry second wife. Husband has filed proceeding for divorce against respondent No. 1 under the provisions of Section 13(1)(1a) of Hindu Marriage Act. Police have filed criminal case against husband for offence u/s 498A of IPC after making investigation of the complaint dated 14/6/10. Specific incident dated 13.6.10 is mentioned in the complaint. Thus, facts of the case in hand are altogether different.

4. Definition of “aggrieved person” is given in Section 2(a) of Protection of Women From Domestic Violence Act, 2005 which is as under:

“2(a) “aggrieved person” — means any woman who is, or has been in a domestic relationship with the respondent and who alleges to have been subjected to any act of domestic violence by the respondent;

5. In Section 2(f) of Protection of Women From Domestic Violence Act, 2005, definition of “Domestic Relationship” is given as under:

“2(f) “domestic relationship” means a relationship between two persons who live or have, at any point of time, lived together in a shared household, when they are related by consanguinity, marriage, or through a relationship in the nature of marriage, adoption or are family members living together as. joint family.”

The definition of “Domestic Violence” is given in Section 3 of the said Act as under:

“(3) Definition of domestic violence— For the purposes of this Act, any act, omission or commission or conduct of the respondent shall constitute domestic violence in case it—

(a) harms or injures or endangers the health, safety, life, limb or well being whether mental or physical of the aggrieved person or tends to do so and includes causing physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal and emotional abuse and economic abuse; or

(b) harasses, harms injures or endangers the aggrieved person with a view to coerce her