If you are facing domestic violence, you do not have to endure it, and you do not have to navigate the law alone. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 exists to protect you — and Advocate Maryam Fatima helps women across Hyderabad secure that protection quickly, safely and with dignity. You can get help regardless of your religion, marital status or community.
The Act defines domestic abuse broadly. It is not limited to physical assault. It covers physical abuse (assault, bodily harm), sexual abuse (forced or degrading sexual conduct), verbal and emotional abuse (insults, humiliation, threats, derogatory language), and economic abuse (depriving you of money, withholding maintenance, disposing of property, or preventing you from working).
The Act protects you in a domestic relationship — which includes marriage, live-in relationships, and relationships with family members in a shared household. A woman can seek protection not only against her husband but also against in-laws and other relatives of the household.
A defining strength of the Act is that it is a civil remedy centred on protection and relief — not punishment. You can approach the court to stop the abuse and secure your rights, separate from (or alongside) any criminal complaint. This makes it a practical, fast route to safety and financial support.
A court order restraining the respondent from committing further violence, contacting you, or coming near your residence, workplace or children's school. This is your core shield.
Your right to remain in the shared household is protected — you cannot be evicted, and the court can direct your continued residence or alternative accommodation.
Compensation for expenses you have incurred and losses you have suffered — medical costs, loss of earnings, and property damaged or taken.
Monthly maintenance orders to support you and your children, distinct from any divorce proceedings.
Interim and final custody orders for your children, decided on their welfare, so your children are protected alongside you.
Damages for the emotional and physical injury you have suffered — acknowledging that abuse causes harm beyond money.
When you are unsafe, speed matters. The Act directs the court to dispose of applications within 60 days. More importantly, the court can pass interim and ex-parte orders within days of filing when the allegations disclose urgency — meaning you can obtain a protection order, residence protection and interim maintenance very quickly, before the full hearing.
A typical urgent case in Hyderabad: your lawyer files the petition and evidence, the Magistrate assesses the immediate risk, and where urgency is shown, interim protection follows within days to a few weeks. Interim maintenance is often awarded at this early stage so you are not left without means while the case proceeds.
The practical route in Hyderabad: file before the competent Magistrate with the assistance of a lawyer and the Protection Officer, attach any evidence (messages, photographs, medical records, witnesses), and seek interim relief on day one. The court can also order the respondent to appear and to surrender weapons or remove access to you.
If you are in immediate danger, your safety comes first: go to a place of safety, contact the nearest police station, and call the national women's helpline (181) or, in emergency, the police emergency line (112). Then document what you can and reach a lawyer to file for legal protection. Hyderabad also has shelter homes and support services that a Protection Officer can help you access. Seeking legal protection is a sign of strength, not of failure — the law is expressly designed to help a woman in exactly your position.
The DV Act is one of several tools available to you, and an experienced lawyer uses them together. You can separately file a criminal complaint for cruelty or assault (including under the provisions addressing matrimonial cruelty), and you can claim maintenance through Section 125 CrPC / Section 144 BNSS, which is a summary, religion-neutral remedy for a wife, children and parents unable to maintain themselves.
If you are a Muslim woman, the protections of the DV Act, 2005 are available to you in full — the Act applies to all women regardless of religion — while maintenance after divorce falls under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986. Both avenues can be pursued.
Advocate Maryam Fatima coordinates all of these routes so that your protection, maintenance, custody and any criminal proceedings advance together — not in a confusing tangle. She also coordinates with the police, Protection Officer and shelter services where needed. Where the marriage has broken down beyond repair, protection and divorce can run alongside each other, so you are not forced to remain in an unsafe situation while your legal status is pending — see the guide to divorce law in Hyderabad. Read the practical guide to filing a domestic violence complaint in Hyderabad and understand Section 498A and dowry harassment law as part of a complete picture.
A strong DV case rests on evidence. Even in an emergency, the records you preserve make the difference between a swift order and a contested hearing. Consider keeping a record of:
Screenshots of threatening or abusive messages, calls and social media posts; call logs; medical records of injuries; photographs of bruises, damage or your living conditions; bank records showing financial control or deprivation; and a dated diary of incidents.
Neighbours, relatives and colleagues who witnessed incidents or your distress; police complaints (FIR or general diary) even if not pursued; protection orders you may already hold; and your lawyer's notes of legal notices sent.
Documenting abuse is not about dramatising your pain — it is about giving the court the factual basis it needs to protect you quickly and permanently. You do not need a perfect record before you act; you need it alongside your action. Advocate Maryam helps you secure and organise evidence so that your relief — protection, residence, maintenance and custody — is granted and holds.
One of the most common confusions is between a DV Act petition and a criminal complaint. They serve different purposes and are often used together:
The DV Act petition is a civil remedy aimed at protecting you now — stopping abuse, securing your home, your maintenance and your children. It is faster to interim relief and is designed around your safety and support. A criminal complaint (for example for cruelty, assault or dowry harassment) is aimed at punishing the offender and can be filed separately or in parallel. It carries its own procedures, investigations and evidentiary standards, and in cases of serious harm it is often an important part of the response.
Running both effectively requires care: the allegations must be consistent, the evidence organised, and the strategy clear. Advocate Maryam advises you honestly on whether a criminal complaint strengthens or complicates your particular matter, and coordinates both tracks so they advance together. Understand the criminal side better with the guide on Section 498A and dowry harassment law.
A civil-remedy statute protecting women from physical, sexual, verbal, emotional and economic abuse in a domestic relationship — covering wives, live-in partners and women in family relationships, with multiple reliefs from a single application.
Protection orders, residence orders, monetary relief, monthly maintenance, custody of children and compensation — all claimable together, with protection from eviction from your home.
Yes. It covers live-in relationships and women in shared households; the Supreme Court has confirmed protections extend to live-in partners in relationships in the nature of marriage.
Before the Magistrate with jurisdiction over your residence or where the abuse occurred. Urgent applications for protection are heard quickly; a lawyer or Protection Officer can help you file.
The Act targets disposal within 60 days, and interim or ex-parte protection orders can come within days of filing when urgency is shown — protection, residence and interim maintenance included.
Yes. A single DV petition can combine monthly maintenance and a child custody order — one of the Act's most powerful features. Parallel maintenance under Section 125 CrPC / Section 144 BNSS is also possible.
A government-appointed officer who assists victims — filing applications, arranging medical exams and shelter, and securing interim relief — working alongside the court and police with your lawyer.
Yes. A DV petition seeks protective civil orders — not a criminal charge (though you may file one separately) — and the court can pass protective orders for your safety. Communications with your lawyer are privileged.
Urgent, confidential help for women facing domestic violence in Hyderabad. You are not alone.
Hyderabad, Telangana · maryam@advocatemaryam.com · Mon–Sat 9 AM – 7 PM