(1) A breach of protection order, or of an interim protection order, by the respondent shall be an offence under this Act and shall be punishable with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine which may extend to twenty thousand rupees, or with both.
(2) The offence under sub-section (1) shall as far as practicable be tried by the Magistrate who had passed the order, the breach of which has been alleged to have been caused by the accused.
(3) While framing charges under sub-section (1), the Magistrate may also frame charges under section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860) or any other provision of that Code or the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 (28 of 1961), as the case may be, if the facts disclose the commission of an offence under those provisions.
Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 31
Section 31 prescribes direct criminal penalties for the breach of a Protection Order or Interim Protection Order by the respondent.
Section 31 enforces strict criminal deterrence against defiance of protection orders, making breach a cognizable and non-bailable penal offence.
Section 31 gives the DV Act its coercive teeth. While the initial reliefs are civil in nature, defying a court's protection order converts the matter into a criminal prosecution. An abusive husband who violates a restraint order by entering his wife's workplace or sending threatening messages faces immediate summary trial and imprisonment.