Judicial Magistrate Umeshchandra More on a plea filed by the boy under section 20 (2)of the Protection of Women against Domestic Violence Act, directed the father to pay both educational and day-to-day expenses to his son till the age of 18 years.

A sum of Rs 12,000 is to be deposited by the father in a bank account every year to meet the boy's daily expenses, while the educational expenses would be paid directly to the school, Advocate Aseem Sarode, who appeared for the petitioner, said.

He said the magistrate gave the order in the month of December 2010, a certified copy of which has now been made available.

The parents of the boy had obtained divorce with mutual consent in 2005. The aggrieved boy stays with his mother.

"Contrary to the popular belief that the Domestic Violence Act applies to only women, it can be invoked also in the case of minors, who suffer any sort of harassment within the institution of family and the act is gender neutral in nature," Sarode added.