The Supreme Court criticises states for failing to submit reports on how they are implementing the Domestic Violence Act.

The Supreme Court has criticized States and Union Territories (UTs) for failing to submit Status Reports on the implementation of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (DV Act). The Court has granted an additional four weeks for this submission, contingent on a payment of Rs. 5,000 as a penalty. The two-Judge Bench, consisting of Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice Prasanna B. Varale, stated, “Counsel for the states requested more time to file status reports. Therefore, we allow four more weeks for this, provided Rs. 5,000 is paid to the Supreme Court mediation center.” The Bench acknowledged that many States and UTs had not complied with the Apex Court’s earlier directive to file their Status Reports.

The Court noted that the States of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Odisha, Telangana, West Bengal, and Assam were among those who did not comply. Additionally, it was reported that the UTs of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Lakshadweep also failed to submit their Status Reports. “Pay the Rs. 5,000 fine and submit the report. If you fail to do so again, the cost will double,” warned Justice Nagarathna. On December 2, 2024, the Court ordered that the Status Report regarding the DV Act’s implementation must be filed. On January 17, 2025, the deadline for States and UTs to submit their reports was extended to February 14, 2025.

In November of last year, the Court reviewed the case and noted that the requests in the Petition were mainly about enforcing the DV Act. When issuing notices, the Court pointed out that both the Central Government and the State Governments share the responsibility for enforcing the law. The Petition asked for guidance to ensure proper enforcement of the DV Act, including the appointment of protection officers, service providers, and shelter homes as required by the Act. It also called for the start and strict enforcement of awareness campaigns about crimes against women. As a result, the Supreme Court scheduled the case for March 25, 2025.