1. Short title, extent and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the Family Courts Act,
1984.
(2) It extends to the whole of India 1
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(3) It shall come into force on such date2
as the Central Government may, by notification in the
Official Gazette, appoint, and different dates may be appointed for different States.
1. The words “except the State of Jammu and Kashmir” Omitted by the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Adaptation of
Central Laws) Order, 2020, vide notification No. S.O. 1123(E) dated (18-3-2020) and vide Union Territory of Ladakh
Reorganisation (Adaptation of Central Laws) Order, 2020, notification No. S.O. 3774(E), dated (23-10-2020).
2. This Act shall come into force in—
(i)Union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 19th November, 1986,vide notification No. 79/22/86, dated 19th
November, 1986, Gazette of India, Extra., Pt. II, Section 1.
(ii) Madhya Pradesh on 19thNovember, 1986, vide notification No. 79/6/86, dated 14th November, 1986, Gazette of India,
Extra., Pt. II, Section 1.
(iii) Uttar Pradesh on 2ndOctober, 1986, vide notification No. 79/11/86-Jus., dated 4th September, 1986, Gazette of India,
Pt. II, Section 1.
(iv)Delhi on 19th November, 1986,vide notification No. S.O. 863(E), dater 18th November, 1986, Gazette of India, Extra.,
Pt. II, Section 3 (ii).
(v)Maharashtra on 1stDecember, 1986, vide notification No. S.O. 944(E), dated 5th December, 1986, Gazette of India,
Extra., Pt. II, Section 3(ii).
(vi)Karnataka on 25thMay, 1987, vide notification No. G.S.R. 685(E), dated 15th May, 1987, Gazette of India, Extra., Pt. II,
Section 3(i).
(vii)Orissa on 1st May, 1989, vide notification No. S.O. 321(E), dated 27th April, 1989, Gazette of India, Extra, Pt. II,
Section 3(ii).
(viii)Kerala on 21st October, 1989, vide notification No. 79/5/86, dated 17th October, 1989, Gazette of India, Extra., Pt. II,
Section 1.
(ix)Goa on 16thApril, 1990, vide notification No. S.O. 328(E), dated 12th April, 1990, Gazette of India, Extra., Pt. II,
Section 3(ii).
(x)Union territory of Pondicherry on 1st May, 1987, vide notification No. G.S.R. 459 (E), dated 29th April, 1987, Gazette of
India, Extra, Pt. II, Section 3(i).
(xi)West Bengal on 1stNovember, 1991, vide notification No. 79/12/86-Jus., dated 1st November, 1991, Gazette of India,
Extra., Pt. II, Section 1 (E).
(xii)Assam on 2nd October, 1991, vide notification No. 79/2/86Jus., dated 30th November, 1991, Gazette of India, Extra.,
Pt. II, Section 1 (E).
(xiii)Bihar on 10th December, 1991, vide notification No. S.O. 838(E), dated 6th December, 1991, Gazette of India, Extra.,
Pt. II, Section 3(ii).
(xiv)Manipur on 3rdFebruary, 1992, vide notification No. S.O. 91(E), dated 30th January, 1992, Gazette of India, Extra., Pt.
II, Section 3(ii).
(xv)Haryana on 2ndNovember, 1992, vide notification No. S.O. 784(E), dated 23th October, 1992, Gazette of India, Extra.,
Pt. II, Section 3(i).
(xvi)Andhra Pradesh on 15thFebruary, 1995, vide notification No. S.O. 92(E), dated 6th February, 1995, Gazette of India,
Extra.. Part II, Section 3 (ii).
(xvii) Gujarat on 1stJanuary, 2000, vide notification No. S.O. 1268(E), dated 20nd December, 1999, Gazette of India, Extra.,
Pt. II, Section 3 (ii).
(xviii)Union territory of Daman and Diu on 10th October, 2003, vide notification No. S.O. 1161 (E), dated 14th October,
2003, Gazette of India, Extra., Pt. II, Section 3 (ii).
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2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a) “Judge” means the Judge or, as the case may be, the Principal Judge, Additional Principal
Judge or other Judge of a Family Court;
(b) “notification” means a notification published in the Official Gazette;
(c) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
(d) “Family Court” means a Family Court established under section 3;
(e) all other words and expressions used but not defined in this Act and defined in the Code of
Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908) shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in that
Code.