Delayed justice to limited aid: The long wait for domestic abuse relief

This month marks two decades of the domestic violence act. HT looks at what’s working on the ground, and what’s not

It’s another working day at judicial magistrate (first class) Shikha Chahal’s court 507 at the Saket district courts in Delhi. C is talking about the unravelling of her marriage in February 2007 when her husband hit her for the first time, two days after the wedding. She still doesn’t know why. “There was never a reason,” she said about the subsequent beatings. “His sisters told him to ‘keep me in line’. I guess that’s why he would hit me.”

The 2005 law defined domestic violence not just in terms of physical assault, but also mental and emotional cruelty, sexual violence and financial deprivation. (AP FILE Photo)

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