In Brief
A widow filed an application under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act seeking relief after being harassed by her deceased husband's family. The High Court dismissed her application, holding that she must have a subsisting domestic relationship and that a Domestic Incident Report was mandatory. The Supreme Court held that a Domestic Incident Report is not mandatory when an aggrieved person files a direct application to the Magistrate. It clarified that a woman need not be residing with respondents at the time violence occurs if she has a right to reside in the shared household. A past domestic relationship suffices if violence relates to that period. The appeal was allowed and the trial court's decision partially granting relief was restored.
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