CHAPTER III
POWERS AND DUTIES OF PROTECTION OFFICERS, SERVICE PROVIDERS, ETC.
Information to Protection Officer and exclusion of liability of informant. 4. (1) Any person who has reason to believe that an act of domestic violence has been, or is being, or is likely to be committed, may give information about it to the concerned Protection Officer.
(2) No liability, civil or criminal, shall be incurred by any person for giving in good faith of information for the purpose of sub-section (1).
Duties of police officers, service providers and Magistrate. 5. A police officer, Protection Officer, service provider or Magistrate who has received a complaint of domestic violence or is otherwise present at the place of an incident of domestic violence or when the incident of domestic violence is reported to him, shall inform the aggrieved person-
- (a) of her right to make an application for obtaining a relief by way of a protection order, an order for monetary relief, a custody order, a residence order, a compensation order or more than one such order under this Act;
- (b) of the availability of services of service providers;
- (c) of the availability of servioes of the Protection Officers;
- (d) of her right to free legal services under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987;39 of 1987.
- (e) of her right to file a complaint under section 498A of the Indian Penal Code, wherever relevant:45 of 1860.
- Provided that nothing in this Act shall be construed in any manner as to relieve a police officer from his duty to proceed in accordance with law upon receipt of information as to the commission of a cognizable offence.
Duties of shelter homes. 6. If an aggrieved person or on her behalf a Protection Officer or a service provider requests the person in charge of a shelter home to provide shelter to her, such person in charge of the shelter home shall provide shelter to the aggrieved person in the shelter home.
Duties of medical facilities. 7. If an aggrieved person or, on her behalf a Protection Officer or a service provider requests the person in charge of a medical facility to provide any medical aid to her, such person in charge of the medical facility shall provide medical aid to the aggrieved person in the medical facility.
Appointment of Protection Officers. 8. (1) The State Government shall, by notification, appoint such number of Protection Officers in each district as it may consider necessary and shall also notify the area or areas within which a Protection Officer shall exercise the powers and perform the duties conferred on him by or under this Act.
(2) The Protection Officers shall as far as possible be women and shall possess such qualifications and experience as may be prescribed.
(3) The terms and conditions of service of the Protection Officer and the other officers subordinate to him shall be such as may be prescribed.
Duties and functions of Protection Officers. 9. (1) It shall be the duty of the Protection Officer-
- (a) to assist the Magistrate in the discharge of his functions under this Act;
- (b) to make a domestic incident report to the Magistrate, in such form and in such manner as may be prescribed, upon receipt of a complaint of domestic violence and forward copies thereof to the police officer in charge of the police station within the local limits of whose jurisdiction domestic violence is alleged to have been-committed and to the service providers in that area;
