Batting can be needlepunched without scrim. The Quilter's Dream brand cotton battings are done that way. This is why they are easier to hand quilt; no scrim to go through. Warm and Natural is needlepunched through scrim, which makes it extremely stable (quilting lines can be as far apart as 10"); however, the scrim makes it considerably harder to hand quilt.
I suppose a wallhanging or art project could be quilted without batting. However, any quilt that is going to get washed a lot (or by machine) will also need a backing.