These notes are written for litigants and for younger members of the Bar. They explain procedure as it operates in the Delhi courts — the sequence of steps, the timelines that matter, and the points at which a matter is commonly lost. They are general information, not advice on any particular case.
Who Can File a DV Case, and Against Whom: Key Definitions in the DV Act
Five definitions in the Act of 2005 decide almost every threshold question — who may complain, who may be arrayed, and what conduct counts as domestic violence.
Read → 22 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyMaintenance Pendente Lite Under Section 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act
Interim maintenance and litigation expenses during matrimonial proceedings — a gender-neutral remedy available to either spouse under the Act of 1955.
Read → 22 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyRestitution of Conjugal Rights Under Section 9 HMA
What the decree of restitution actually does, how it is enforced, and what follows when a spouse does not resume cohabitation.
Read → 22 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyDivorce Under the Special Marriage Act, 1954
How civil and inter-faith marriages solemnised or registered under the Act of 1954 are dissolved, and how the process compares with divorce under the Hindu Marriage Act.
Read → 21 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyInterim and Ex Parte Orders Under Section 23 of the DV Act
How Magistrates grant urgent interim and ex parte relief in domestic violence cases — the affidavit route, the full menu of interim reliefs, enforcement, and appeals under Section 29.
Read → 21 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyMonetary Relief Under Section 20 of the DV Act: Wider Than Maintenance
Section 20 compensates lost earnings, medical expenses and property losses caused by domestic violence, over and above maintenance — and interacts with Section 144 BNSS and HMA maintenance through disclosure and adjustment.
Read → 21 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyMaintenance for Parents: Section 144 BNSS and the Senior Citizens Act
Two statutory routes for ageing parents — court-ordered maintenance under Section 144 BNSS and the faster Tribunal remedy under the 2007 Act, including the Section 23 power to void conditional property transfers.
Read → 21 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyPermanent Alimony Under Section 25 of the Hindu Marriage Act
Who can claim permanent alimony, what courts weigh, lump sum versus monthly payments, and how orders are varied or rescinded on changed circumstances or remarriage.
Read → 21 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyDesertion as a Ground for Divorce: What Section 13(1)(ib) Actually Requires
Two years of separate living is not enough — desertion requires factum, animus, absence of cause and consent, and can be interrupted by a genuine offer to return. How the ground is pleaded and proved.
Read → 21 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyAnnulment Under the Hindu Marriage Act: Void and Voidable Marriages
Sections 11 and 12 HMA — bigamy, prohibited degrees, fraud, non-consummation and concealed pregnancy, the one-year limits, and the legitimacy of children under Section 16.
Read → 20 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyResidence Orders under the DV Act – Advocate Manish Jha
Section 17 of the Domestic Violence Act, 2005 gives every woman in a domestic relationship the right to reside in the shared household, irrespective of title. An explainer on residence orders under Section 19, interim relief under Section 23, and why possession — not ownership — is what these orders protect.
Read → 20 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyAppeals under Section 29 of the DV Act – Advocate Manish Jha
How orders under the Domestic Violence Act are challenged: the Section 29 appeal to the Court of Session within thirty days of service, the position on stay and condonation of delay, and the routes to the High Court thereafter.
Read →What Is Covered Here
The chamber writes on the areas in which it appears: criminal procedure under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, bail practice, matrimonial and family proceedings before the Delhi Family Courts, cheque dishonour and recovery, and proceedings before the NCLT and the Motor Accident Claims Tribunals. Notes on reported judgments of the Supreme Court of India and the High Court of Delhi are published with a link to the official text of the decision, so that a reader can verify the position rather than rely on a summary.
No article on this page identifies a client or discusses a pending matter conducted by the chamber. Where a statutory provision is cited, the section number is given so that a reader can verify it against the bare Act.