HC asks Maha govt if it plans to fill vacancies in SCW

The Bombay High Court today directed the Maharashtra government to inform whether or not it plans to fill vacancies in the State Commission for Women.
"Inform us by Tuesday (December 17) if the state government proposes to fill the vacancies or else we will issue an order directing the government to do so," a division bench of Justices S J Vazifdar and G S Patel said.
The court was hearing public interest litigations by activists Vihar Durve and Meera Kamat stating that all the seven posts including the chairman's in the state commission for women were lying vacant since 2009.

According to the petitions, the commission was formed in 2006 comprising a chairman's post and six members, preferably women, to protect the fundamental rights of the fairer sex, to take remedial measures against practices derogatory to women and so on.
"Posts of the chairman and the six members were filled in 2006 for a tenure of three years. However, even after the end of the three-year tenure in 2009 no fresh appointments have been made by the state government," the petition claimed.
According to the petition, till May 2013, around 49,000 cases pertaining to atrocities on women were pending in several courts in the state.

The court was last week informed by the government that the files seeking appointment of chairman and members to the commission were pending with the chief minister's office.
The bench today gave the state time till December 17 to finalise the matter.