Bhopal/Delhi- On International Women's Day, when governments talk about women's empowerment, safety, and equal rights, in Madhya Pradesh there is an institution that itself lies inactive. The State Women's Commission has not had a chairperson or members appointed for the past four years. As a result, thousands of women's complaints remain pending, and the process of delivering justice has come to a virtual standstill.

This constitutional body, formed for women's rights and safety, is currently operating without leadership. The positions in the commission have been completely vacant since March 2023. During this period, a large number of complaints have reached the commission from across the state, but no hearings have taken place.

Governments Changed, But Appointments Not Made

In fact, in 2019, during the final phase of the then Kamal Nath government, appointments were made to the State Women's Commission. At that time, Shobha Ojha was appointed as chairperson, along with five members.

After that, there was a change in power in the state, and a BJP government led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan came to power. The entire tenure of the Shivraj government passed, and now more than two years have elapsed under the new government led by Dr. Mohan Yadav, but new appointments to the Women's Commission have still not been made.

The government continuously claims to run various schemes for women's empowerment, but the very institution whose purpose is to hear women's complaints and deliver justice to them has remained inactive for a long time.

Hundreds of Complaints Arrive Every Month

An employee associated with the State Women's Commission, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the commission receives about 300 complaints every month. Accordingly, around 3,000 complaints reach the commission in a year.

Some of these complaints do not fall within the commission's jurisdiction and are dismissed. For the remaining complaints, investigation reports are obtained from the concerned departments and files are prepared.

However, in many cases, further action requires a hearing before the commission's bench, but due to the absence of a chairperson and members, no concrete action can be taken on these cases.

Commission Chairs Vacant, Pendency Rising

The situation is similar for other commissions in the state as well. A large number of complaints are reportedly pending in the Scheduled Caste Commission and Scheduled Tribe Commission too.

Due to the non-appointment of chairpersons and members, only government officers and employees are working in these commissions, limited to receiving complaints and forwarding them to the concerned departments. In this situation, the core objective of the commissions—to hear complaints and deliver impartial justice—has been almost completely halted.

In a conversation with The Mooknayak, former State Women's Commission member Sangeeta Sharma said that when her appointment was made in 2019, there were already about 10,000 pending complaints. She stated that after the fall of the Kamal Nath government and the subsequent change in power under Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the cabinet inactivated the appointments related to the commission. This created uncertainty about the status of the appointed members, and many went to the High Court regarding their rights. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic and legal entanglements caused the commission's term to end after three years, further affecting the resolution of pending cases.

Sangeeta Sharma further said that since March 2023, all positions of chairperson and members in the State Women's Commission have remained vacant, even as complaints related to women continue to pour in. She mentioned that various types of complaints are received daily, but without appointments, hearings are not possible. She added that the Women and Child Development Department is also not showing seriousness regarding the commission's situation, making it difficult for women to get justice through the commission. In such circumstances, it is extremely necessary to make appointments in the commissions soon so that pending cases can be resolved and victimized women can receive timely justice.

Commissions Have Powers Equivalent to Civil Courts

Under the law, the State Women's Commission has powers equivalent to those of a civil court. When a woman does not get justice from the administration or other agencies, she can file a complaint with the commission.

The commission obtains investigation reports from the concerned departments, and if the complainant is not satisfied with the investigation, a hearing takes place before the commission's bench.

During the hearing, the commission can summon concerned officers and, after investigation, send recommendations to the government.

But at present, due to the absence of a chairperson and members, such hearings and actions are not possible.

A Big Question on Women's Day

On International Women's Day, while discussions focus on women's rights and justice, the fact that Madhya Pradesh's Women's Commission has remained inactive for four years raises many questions.

Women's rights activists believe that appointments in the commission are urgently needed so that cases related to women can be heard and victims can receive timely justice.

Amid the state's claims of women's safety and empowerment, this question also arises: When the institution responsible for hearing complaints itself lies vacant, how effective can the process of delivering justice to women really be?

NCRB Data Shows Alarming Situation

Madhya Pradesh has long been in the news for crimes against women, especially rape cases. Even in 2023, the situation was not much better. According to the NCRB report, the state ranked third in the country for rape incidents, with 2,979 cases registered in one year. Rajasthan topped with 5,078 incidents, while Uttar Pradesh reported 3,516 cases.

These figures clearly show that women's safety in the state remains a major challenge. Although the government has launched several schemes and helpline numbers for women's safety, their impact on the ground appears very limited.