HC reprimands lawyer for raking up woman’s personal life in domestic violence case

Mumbai, April 8

The Bombay High Court on Thursday reprimanded an advocate, appearing for a woman who had filed a complaint of domestic violence against her daughter, for arguing that the daughter had many boyfriends.

A division bench of Justices S S Shinde and Manish Pitale was hearing a petition filed by a city-based woman seeking to quash the proceedings initiated against her by a lower court in connection with a complaint lodged by her mother under the Domestic Violence Act.

The woman’s advocate Kenny Thakkar told the court that the petitioner has to go to Australia for higher education and hence sought for the complaint to be quashed.

She further argued that there was no evidence to prove the allegations levelled against the petitioner.

The advocate appearing for the complainant mother, however, opposed the plea and said the petitioner has many boyfriends.

Justice Pitale immediately asked the advocate to stop this line of argument.

“What is this argument? It is her (petitioner) life What is this argument that she has many boyfriends? Argue on law point,” Justice Pitale said.

The court added that the complainant mother should be happy that the petitioner, against whom she has levelled allegations of domestic violence, is going far away.

The bench has reserved its judgment on the petition and said it would pronounce its verdict on April 19. PTI