Yes — and not only can you, in many situations you should, because the two sets of proceedings work together and often reinforce each other. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (PWDVA) and the divorce petition before the Kanpur Family Court are independent proceedings that can run simultaneously, and doing so strategically can provide you with both immediate protection and long-term remedies.

The PWDVA is a broad and powerful statute. "Domestic violence" under it is defined to include physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal and emotional abuse, economic abuse — including withholding maintenance, controlling access to funds, and refusing to return stridhan — and harassment. A Domestic Incident Report is filed with a Protection Officer, and you can then seek a Protection Order (preventing your abuser from contacting or approaching you), a Residence Order (securing your right to remain in the shared household or requiring you to be given alternative accommodation), a Custody Order for your children, and Monetary Relief covering maintenance, medical expenses, and compensation for the harm caused. These reliefs are available on an urgent, interim basis — a Magistrate can pass an ex-parte Protection Order within a single day where the situation warrants it.

The powerful interaction with your divorce proceedings is this: the same acts of violence and abuse that ground a Protection Order under the PWDVA also constitute mental cruelty for the purposes of your contested divorce petition under Section 13(1)(ia) of the Hindu Marriage Act. The Protection Order, once passed, becomes evidence in your family court proceedings of the conduct you have alleged. Equally, interim maintenance under the PWDVA can be sought independently of and in addition to maintenance under Section 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act and Section 144 BNSS, giving you multiple, reinforcing streams of financial support during the proceedings. The family law and domestic violence specialists on the Kanpur panel at Aapka Legal Advice can coordinate both proceedings so the Protection Order, the maintenance applications, and the divorce petition work in concert rather than in isolation.

One practical step that matters enormously: if you are in an urgent situation involving physical violence, the Protection Officer for Kanpur can be approached immediately and without a lawyer. But having legal representation from the outset ensures that every step — the DV complaint, the interim protection order, the maintenance application, the divorce petition — is filed correctly and exploits the full range of protection the law provides.