SOUMENDRA PRASAD BHATTACHARYA AND ANR vs SMT SWATI BHATTACHARYA AND ANR — 6/2024

Summary The court dismissed the parents-in-law's appeal challenging a domestic violence case filed by their widowed daughter-in-law. The court held that a woman need not actually reside in the shared household to seek protection under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act—she only needs to have a valid domestic relationship (here, through marriage) and be subjected to domestic violence. The widow's claim against her in-laws was deemed maintainable despite living separately in Mumbai during her marriage, as she retained rights as a daughter-in-law after her husband's death from COVID-19. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.