India, Oct. 12 -- Observing that proceedings under the Domestic Violence Act cannot be treated as a substitute for civil proceedings to adjudicate property ownership and other proprietary rights, a court here has dismissed an appeal filed by a woman challenging an order directing her husband to provide alternative accommodation instead of allowing her continued residence in the disputed shared household.

The court of the Court of 1st Additional Sessions Judge, Anjum Ara, observed that previous litigation between the parties, including proceedings initiated by the woman against her in-laws and a case filed by her aged parents-in-law before the Maintenance Tribunal, were relevant circumstances that could not be ignored while considering he...