'Ignore our summons, face arrest'

Failure to appear on the summons of the Delhi Commission for Women will now onwards attract issuance of arrest warrant and attachment of property.

The decision was taken by the commission on Monday after seeking a legal opinion from senior advocate and former Solicitor General of India Indira Jaising. However, it is not a new order and the commission already had the powers to issue arrest warrant and attach property and salary if a person disobeys its summons, under the DCW Act 1994.

“When I joined as the DCW chief, I was told that a lot of people don’t appear before the commission and we can’t do anything about it. But I was surprised to read the Act which actually gives us an authority to issue arrest warrant and attach property,” DCW chief Swati Maliwal said.

“The Act lays down the powers and functions of the Commission. Under the Act, the commission is given the powers of a civil court in matters of trying a suit along with the powers of issuing summons and calling for documents,” she said and added, “I wondered why it was not implemented till now”.

The DCW officials said all state women commissions possess similar powers but these are never used. A legal opinion on the same was sought by senior advocate Indira Jaising.

“So I sought opinion from her to be double sure and she gave it in writing clarifying that the commission has the authority to take appropriate action under the law against the person who intentionally fails to comply with the summons,” the DCW chief said.

Commenting on the “sorry state of affairs” of the DCW till now, Maliwal said: “Till now, the commission was a parking lot of all retired politicians. A kitty party environment prevailed and despite having powers, nobody used them and rather complained that the commission lacked powers because of which it was not able to act”.

Meanwhile, Union Child and Welfare Minister Maneka Gandhi on Monday called the commission chief and appreciated the report submitted by the panel to the Delhi government on the condition of ‘Nirmal Chhaya Nari Niketan’. 

Gandhi asked the panel to send a copy of the report so that the ministry can send it to other states to adopt similar measures to improve the condition of their women shelter homes.

Maliwal had met Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and submitted the commission’s report which pointed out “inhuman” neglect of inmates and gross lapses by officials at Nari Niketan and short stay home.

The government had suspended two superintendents of the Niketan and terminated the services of three welfare officers employed on contract basis for mismanagement and dereliction of duty on Saturday.