Section 8 of Domestic Violence Act "Appointment of Protection Officers"
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.
Section 9 of Domestic Violence Act "Duties and functions of Protection Officers"
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;
c. to make an application in such form and in such manner as
may be prescribed to the Magistrate, if the aggrieved person
so desires, claiming relief for issuance of a protection
order;
d. to ensure that the aggrieved person is provided legal aid
under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 (39 of 1987)
and make available free of cost the prescribed form in which
a complaint is to be made;
e. to maintain a list of all service providers providing
legal aid or counselling, shelter homes and medical
facilities in a local area within the jurisdiction of the
Magistrate;
f. to make available a safe shelter home, if the aggrieved
person so requires and forward a copy of his report of
having lodged the aggrieved person in a shelter home to the
police station and the Magistrate having jurisdiction in the
area where the shelter home is situated;
g. to get the aggrieved person medically examined, if she
has sustained bodily injuries and forward a copy of the
medical report to the police station and the Magistrate
having jurisdiction in the area where the domestic violence
is alleged to have been taken place;
h. to ensure that the order for monetary relief under
section 20 is complied with and executed, in accordance with
the procedure prescribed under the Code of Criminal
Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974);
i. to perform such other duties as may be prescribed.
2. The Protection Officer shall be under the control and
supervision of the Magistrate, and shall perform the duties
imposed on him by the Magistrate and the Government by, or
under, this Act.