Date:29/10/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/10/29/stories/2006102914851000.htm

National

Lawyer questions arrest

New Delhi : As the first case of arrest under the new Domestic Violence Law came in from Tamil Nadu on Saturday, a lawyer questioned its legality saying police cannot act against any person under the statute without a court order.

"This particular Act comes within the purview of a magistrate. So unless there is a court order, I don't see how they can arrest a person under this law," Geeta Ramaseshan, advocate, said.

"...The purpose of this law is actually to introduce a lot of civil remedies within the realm of the magisterial court," she told NDTV.

However, Tirunelveli Police Commissioner G. Umaganapathi Sastri said that the process of legal action would start the moment the police officer informed the aggrieved person of her rights.

Under the Act, a person found guilty by a court might get imprisonment of up to a year and a fine of up to Rs. 20,000, Mr. Sastri said. — PTI