Supreme Court of India

Hiral P. Harsora and Ors. v. Kusum Narottamdas Harsora and Ors.

Neutral citation
Bench Kurian Joseph and R. F. Nariman JJ.
Decided 6 October 2016

INSC stands for INDIAN SUPREME COURT. A neutral citation scheme assigned by the Court itself, so a judgment can be cited without depending on a commercial law reporter. INSC is the neutral citation scheme assigned by the Supreme Court, so a judgment can be cited without depending on a commercial law reporter.

7 Supreme Court benches have cited this judgment.

What the Court ordered

We, therefore, set aside the impugned judgment of the Bombay High Court and declare that the words "adult male" in Section 2( q) of the 2005 Act will stand deleted since these words do not square with Article 14 of the Constitution of India. Consequently, the proviso to Section 2(q), being rendered otiose, also stands deleted.

Judgment, 46

From the headnote

Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 - s. 2(q) and its proviso - Constitutional validity of s. 2(q) - Held; The object of the Act is to provide various remedies to women who suffer from domestic violence - Preamble of the Act also makes it clear that the Act is to redress violence, whether physical, sexual, verbal, emotional or economic - The definition of 'respondent' in s.2(q) is not based on any intelligible differentia having any rational relation to the object sought to be achieved by the Act - The microscopic difference between male and female, adult and non adult, regard being had to the object sought to be achieved by the Act, is neither real nor substantial nor does it have any rational relation to the object of the legislation…

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