In Brief
A father-in-law (plaintiff) filed a suit seeking removal of his son's wife (defendant) from the shared household property he owns. The defendant claimed the property as a shared household under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, where she had rights of residence. The Supreme Court held that 'shared household' encompasses any property where an aggrieved person lived in a domestic relationship with the respondent, not limited to properties owned by the husband or joint family. The Court overruled the earlier S.R. Batra judgment, clarified that civil suits for possession are maintainable subject to statutory protections, and held that proceedings under the Domestic Violence Act and civil courts are independent. The trial court erred in granting summary judgment without adjudicating the defendant's statutory rights of residence.
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