Delhi High Court asks State why Delhi Commission for Women hasn't been functioning for 2 years

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Delhi government to explain why the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has been lying defunct for the last two years. 

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia observed that DCW performs crucial functions related to safety and legal rights of women, and “there cannot be any reason whatsoever for not filling up the vacancies of members and chairperson” in the Commission.

Therefore, the Court directed the Delhi government’s Standing Counsel, Sameer Vashisht, to obtain instructions on the matter. 

“Let instructions be sought by the counsel appearing for GNCTD [Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi] as to what steps have been taken by the authorities concerned to fill up the vacancies and what steps are being taken to ensure that the commission does not close down,” the Court ordered. 

The matter will be heard next after two weeks. 

The High Court was dealing with a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Member of Parliament (MP) Sudhakar Singh. 

Advocate Satyam Singha appeared for the petitioner and stated that the Commission has not been functioning since January 2024. He added that the DCW office has been closed and staff members have also been removed. 

After hearing the case, the High Court asked the government counsel to obtain instructions.