SC notice to Centre over PIL seeking shelter for women facing domestic violence

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre on a plea for putting in place 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 sought a response from the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting by December 6 on a petition filed by NGO, 'We The Women of India'.

The court, however, preferred not to seek a response from States in the matter.

"As of now, we are issuing notice to the Union government and not to States else it will become a jamboree. We will then put the case in the basket of central government for monitoring," the bench said.

The PIL claimed domestic violence continued 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 % were domestic violence cases," the plea said, seeking adequate infrastructure for women after filing of complaints against husbands and their inlaws.

It also cited findings of the National Family Health Survey, to contend that about 86 % of the women victims of domestic violence never sought help.

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