Domestic violence is commonly imagined as physical, but the statutory definition is far wider. Section 3 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 expressly names "economic abuse" as a form of domestic violence: deprivation of economic or financial resources to which the aggrieved woman is entitled, disposal of household effects and her stridhan, and restriction of access to resources she is entitled to use by virtue of the domestic relationship. Because the definition is independent, a woman who has never suffered a blow may still be an aggrieved person — and the Act's remedies, from monetary relief to residence orders, are designed with precisely this pattern of control in mind.
The statutory definition, unpacked
Section 3(iv) of the DV Act defines economic abuse in three broad movements. First, deprivation of economic or financial resources to which the aggrieved person is entitled under law or custom, or which she requires out of necessity — household necessities, maintenance for herself and her children, her stridhan, jointly or separately owned property, rent for the shared household. Second, disposal or alienation of assets in which she has an interest or entitlement — movable or immovable, valuables, shares, securities and household effects. Third, prohibition or restriction of continued access to resources or facilities she is entitled to use by virtue of the domestic relationship, including access to the shared household itself.
The definition is deliberately transactional in its detail because economic control is transactional in its operation: an allowance cut off, a salary account taken over, jewellery removed to the in-laws' custody, a locker emptied, a tenancy surrendered behind the woman's back.
Recognising the patterns
Deprivation
Household expenses stopped, children's school fees unpaid, medical needs ignored — while the respondent's own standard of living continues unchanged.
Extraction
The woman's salary, rental income or savings appropriated; pressure to raise funds from her parents recast as a "household contribution".
Alienation
Stridhan, jewellery and joint assets disposed of; the shared household mortgaged, sold or surrendered to defeat her residence rights.
Exclusion
Removal from bank accounts and lockers, cancellation of cards, denial of access to the vehicle or facilities she has always used.
Mapping abuse to relief
| Economic abuse alleged | Primary relief under the DV Act |
|---|---|
| Maintenance and household expenses withheld | Monetary relief under Section 20, including maintenance for the woman and children; interim relief under Section 23 can operate from the first effective hearing. |
| Stridhan retained or being dissipated | Protection order under Section 18 restraining alienation and directing that stridhan not be operated upon; return can be secured through the order and its enforcement. |
| Attempts to sell or surrender the shared household | Residence order under Section 19, including restraint on alienation and on dispossession; alternate accommodation or its rent where appropriate. |
| Loss caused by the abuse (earnings, medical costs, property destroyed) | Monetary relief under Section 20 covering actual loss, and compensation for injuries including mental torture under Section 22. |
The reliefs are cumulative, not alternative. Section 26 additionally allows these reliefs to be sought in other pending proceedings — a divorce or maintenance case — and Section 36 keeps the Act in addition to, not in derogation of, other laws. Deprivation of maintenance can thus be pursued under the DV Act alongside Section 144 BNSS, with adjustment, so that there is no double recovery for the same period.
Proving the economic case
Economic abuse leaves a paper trail richer than most forms of violence, and the application should harvest it: bank statements showing the diversion or stoppage, salary slips and income-tax returns of the respondent, records of the woman's own earnings and their appropriation, the stridhan list with bills, photographs and witnesses from the marriage, rent receipts and utility bills of the shared household, and correspondence — messages demanding money or recording refusals. The Domestic Incident Report prepared by the Protection Officer can capture the economic dimension specifically, and the affidavit of assets and liabilities that Delhi courts require in maintenance-type proceedings does much of the comparative work for the Magistrate.
Strategy for both sides
For the aggrieved woman, plead the entitlement precisely: what resource, under what right, deprived from when, and quantify where possible — vagueness is the most common weakness in economic-abuse pleadings. For respondents, the answer lies in the same ledger: proof of amounts actually provided, of the woman's independent access to resources, and of legitimate reasons for any asset dealing. Courts distinguish genuine financial stringency from strategic deprivation, and the party whose documents tell a coherent story usually holds the advantage.
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice or a solicitation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is economic abuse alone enough to file a DV Act case?
Yes. Section 3 defines domestic violence to include economic abuse as an independent category. An aggrieved woman need not allege physical harm; deprivation of maintenance, exclusion from the household economy, or disposal of her stridhan can themselves found an application under Section 12.
What counts as economic abuse in practice?
Withholding household expenses or maintenance for the woman and her children, stopping her from working or taking her earnings, alienating assets or valuables including stridhan, disposing of the shared household or household effects, restricting her use of facilities she is entitled to by the domestic relationship, and denying rent payment where the household is rented.
Which reliefs answer economic abuse?
Monetary relief under Section 20 (expenses, maintenance, loss of earnings), protection orders under Section 18 restraining alienation of assets, stridhan and bank lockers, residence orders under Section 19 securing the shared household or alternate accommodation, and compensation under Section 22. Interim versions of these are available under Section 23.
Can a working woman allege economic abuse?
Yes. Her own earnings do not license deprivation of resources she is otherwise entitled to. Courts assess entitlement by the standard of living of the household and the respondent's means; the question is deprivation of what she is entitled to, not whether she can somehow survive without it.