Former National Commission for Women chairperson and BJP leader Rekha Sharma was declared elected unopposed in the Rajya Sabha bypoll from Haryana after the deadline for withdrawal of nomination ended at 3 pm on Friday. Sharma had filed her nomination for the bypoll from Haryana here on Tuesday. She was the lone candidate in the fray. The BJP had on Monday announced Sharma's name for the December 20 Rajya Sabha bypolls. Accompanied by Haryana Minister Mahipal Dhanda and former Haryana Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta, Sharma was given certificate by the Returning Officer after being declared elected unopposed. The opposition had not fielded a candidate for the bypolls. In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, the BJP enjoys a majority having 48 members, the Congress has 37 seats, the INLD two while three are Independents. The Independents also support the Nayab Singh Saini government. The Rajya Sabha seat in Haryana fell vacant when Krishan Lal Panwar of the BJP had quit his seat foll
Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar has taken over as the NCW chief, succeeding Rekha Sharma, whose tenure ended on August 6
Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar has been appointed the ninth chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW) succeeding Rekha Sharma, according to an official order. The appointment made under Section 3 of the National Commission for Women Act, 1990, will be for a period of three years or until she reaches the age of 65, whichever comes first, a government notification issued on Saturday said. Rahatkar's tenure will begin with immediate effect. The announcement will also be published in the Gazette of India. In addition to the appointment of Rahatkar, Archana Majumdar has been officially named a member of the NCW for a tenure of three years, as per a notification issued by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The NCW, a statutory body, is empowered to work towards the advancement of women's rights. Its mandate includes reviewing the constitutional and legal safeguards provided for women. According to a statement issued by the Women and Child Development Ministry, Rahatkar h
The two-member inquiry committee constituted by the NCW included Delina Khondgup, an NCW Member, and Soma Chaudhary, an Advocate
As many as 12,600 complaints have been received by the National Commission for Women (NCW) so far this year, with Uttar Pradesh achieving the dubious distinction of registering the highest number of complaints, according to official data. The highest number of complaints were received in the right to dignity category that involves harassment other than domestic violence. It stood at 3,107, according to the NCW data. This was followed by 3,544 complaints of domestic violence. Dowry harassment complaints stood at 1,957, molestation complaints at 817, police apathy against women complaints at 518, and rape and attempt to rape complaints at 657, the data showed. There were 493 complaints of sexual harassment, 339 of cyber crime, 345 of stalking and 206 of honour crimes, it stated. Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of complaints at 6,470 followed by Delhi at 1,113 and Maharashtra at 762, according to the data. Bihar recorded 584 complaints, Madhya Pradesh 514, Haryana 506, ...
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar did not appear before the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Friday in connection with alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal. The NCW had summoned Kumar to appear before it at 11 am. NCW chief Rekha Sharma said a team of the commission had gone to Kumar's residence on Thursday to serve him a notice but he was not home. "Kumar's wife refused to receive the notice. My team has gone to his residence again today with police and if he does not appear (before NCW) by tomorrow, then I will go (to his residence)," Sharma told reporters. On Monday morning, Maliwal went to the Civil Lines police station here and alleged that a member of Kejriwal's personal staff "assaulted" her at the chief minister's official residence, police officials said. The NCW took suo moto cognizance of a media post titled "Ex-DCW chief Swati Maliwal accuses Arvind Kejriwal's personal secretary of assaulting her" where she claimed that she w
AAP MP Swati Maliwal on Friday went to the Tis Hazari court to record her statement before a magistrate about the alleged assault on her by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar, officials said. Maliwal left her residence around 11 am with a Delhi Police team. On Monday morning, Maliwal went to the Civil Lines police station here and alleged that a member of Kejriwal's personal staff "assaulted" her at the chief minister's official residence. The Delhi Police on Thursday registered an FIR in the matter and named Kumar as an accused in the case, officials said.
Bibhav Kumar, personal assistant to Arvind Kejriwal, who 'assaulted' Swati Maliwal, has been summoned by NCW
The Trinamool Congress on Sunday lodged a complaint with the EC against National Commission for Women Chairperson Rekha Sharma, accusing her of being "one of the major conspirators" of incidents in Sandeshkhali where allegations of sexual abuse against leaders of the ruling party in West Bengal have been made. In a letter to the Election Commission, the TMC said it was filing a complaint against Sharma and a BJP leader for "commission of serious offences of forgery, cheating, fraud, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy upon innocent women of Sandeshkhali and the entire electorate in general". "This is to draw your urgent attention to a deeply distressing turn of events, wherein, BJP leaders along with member(s) of the NCW have criminally conspired against the entire electorate and hence, warrants your immediate intervention," the party said in the letter to EC. The TMC also said, "An interview of a woman from Sandeshkhali was shared on X platform on May 10 which reveals tha
The Trinamool Congress on Friday said it will file a formal complaint with the Election Commission against National Commission for Women's chairperson Rekha Sharma over allegations of atrocities on women in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali. NCW had recommended to President Droupadi Murmu that President's rule be imposed in West Bengal over alleged violence and atrocities on women in Sandeshkhali. "TMC will go to the Election Commission against Rekha Sharma, who is the chairperson of National Commission for Women," West Bengal minister and TMC spokesperson Shashi Panja said. Some videos on Sandeshkhali went viral which were shared by TMC. PTI did not verify the authenticity of the videos shared by TMC. Panja said that the TMC has already filed complaints against BJP and Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari before the EC over such allegations.
No victim has come forward to register a complaint against Karnataka MP Prajwal Revanna, and one woman complainant who reached out to the women's body alleged that she was forced to register a fake complaint against the JD(S) leader, the NCW said on Thursday. The timely submission of the Action Taken Report (ATR) by the concerned authorities reveal several significant findings, the National Commission for Women (NCW) added. It said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) committee has been formed to probe the matter thoroughly. Notably, there is a commendable presence of female officers entrusted with conducting investigations and ensuring sensitivity and empathy in handling such cases, it added. According to the NCW, the ATR indicated the registration of two cases based on the complaints of sexual abuse by the victims, alongside an additional complaint filed for abduction by a relative. However, no victim has come forward to register a complaint with the commission in this case, it ...
BJP's Basirhat candidate Rekha Patra, who had highlighted the plight of women in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali, has lodged a complaint with the National Commission for Women against TMC nominee Debangshu Bhattacharyya for alleged violation of her privacy. She also shot off a letter to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, alleging that Bhattacharyya, the TMC nominee from Tamluk Lok Sabha seat and head of the party's social media cell, made the details of her personal information and bank accounts public. "Recently, through a post on Debangshu Bhattacharyya's Facebook account, the TMC candidate from Tamluk has shared the private details of my client, such as phone number, bank account details, Swasthya Sathi scheme details, as well as the Duare Sarkar scheme details, which is a clear violation of my client's right to privacy and an outrage to her modesty by making her personal details public," Patra's lawyer said in the letter. The BJP candidate, through her counsel, urged the .
Imposing the President's Rule in West Bengal, replacing the personnel deployed at the Sandehskhali police station, strengthening intelligence-gathering mechanisms and establishing support services for victims of crime, including counselling, legal aid and rehabilitation, are among recommendations the National Commission for Women (NCW) has made to President Droupadi Murmu in a report submitted on Tuesday. NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma met Murmu on Tuesday and submitted the report based on the feedback received by her as well as by a fact-finding team of the commission that was sent to Sandeshkhali last month. The report detailed the heinous acts of violence perpetrated against women in Basirhat police district of West Bengal, particularly within the premises of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) party office. TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his associates have been accused of confining women unlawfully and subjecting them to rape, molestation and physical abuse, the report said. "Despite
National Commission for Women (NCW) chairman Rekha Sharma claimed that the DGP asked her how he can arrest Shah Jahan when there is nothing against him
National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma on Monday accused the West Bengal government of suppressing the voice of a large number of women in Sandeshkhali where protests were held against alleged atrocities by ruling TMC leaders. During the day, she led a delegation of the commission to the area and said her visit was to instill confidence in women there so that many of them come out and start speaking their mind. The NCW chairperson alleged that the Mamata Banerjee government was trying to "suppress the voice of women so that the truth would not come out". "I am in Sandeshkhali for the entire day to hear from women. But the culprit must be arrested. Once (Shajahan) Shiekh is arrested, I believe more women will come out with their complaints. We have to instill confidence in them. I will talk to the police," Sharma told reporters soon after reaching the area. A large number of women in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district had accused Trinamool Congress ...
A delegation of the National Commission for Women (NCW) led by its chairperson Rekha Sharma is scheduled to visit unrest-hit Sandeshkhali on Monday. Last week two members of NCW had visited the area and submitted a report revealing a "troubling pattern of negligence and complicity" by the Bengal government and law enforcement officials. "We want to talk to the victims. We will then meet the West Bengal Governor and then President in New Delhi tomorrow. Even if one incident takes place then it is shameful," Sharma said. She alleged that the TMC government is "not allowing the state administration to cooperate" with central agencies. As the situation in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas, gradually returns to normalcy following a week of protests alleging TMC-led atrocities on villagers and sexual harassment of women, the police have been maintaining a strong vigil in the area. The TMC, however, dubbed the visit by NCW as politically motivated. "The NCW is quick to visit West Bengal
Indian women are taking the lead as change-makers in every field, NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said here on Wednesday. She said sitting at home women are also trying to learn something new because of the societal mindset change. "Women are now the change makers, and we are not only changing for the better, but we are the change-makers in the society, whether entrepreneurship, start-ups or having own business, being in services, CEO of companies or a homemaker", the National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson said while talking to reporters here. "When the prime minister spoke from the Red Fort on Independence Day about women-led empowerment, the things around started changing and we have seen in the last nine years things are changing positively", she said. Asked about the increasing rate of crime against women, Sharma said people are saying there is an increase in crime against women because of increase in data. In the past, those in chair did not listen to women coming up to
About 8.3 lakh women have been helped through the one stop centres, which have been established to provide integrated support and assistance under one roof to women affected by violence, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday said. Speaking at the 32nd foundation day of the National Commission for Women (NCW), Irani highlighted various steps taken by the government to ensure the safety and security of women. She said one stop centres have been established in over 700 districts to help the women and added that more than 8.3 lakh women have received help through these centres. The aim of the one stop centres (OSCs) is to provide aid and assistance to the women. They are required to have a centre administrator, case workers, medical personnel, police facilitation officer, psycho-social counsellor, legal counsellor, security guard, IT staff and multi-purpose workers. The Women and Child Development (WCD) minister also said that 30 crore calls have been managed .
The number of complaints of domestic violence recorded by the National Commission for Women that increased during the Covid years has witnessed a decline, according to the apex body's Chairperson Rekha Sharma. Responding to a question during a media briefing, Sharma said domestic violence cases increased during the Covid period and claimed that the trend was seen across the world. "In domestic violence, in the two years when it was closed down, it (domestic violence cases) increased but now it has come down. During the Covid period, domestic violence had increased and it was a worldwide trend," she said. According to National Commission for Women (NCW) data, in 2020 -- when the lockdown was imposed -- 5,304 complaints of domestic violence were recorded out of a total 23,722. In 2019, the commission recorded 2,960 complaints of domestic violence out of 19,730. The number of domestic violence complaints was 6,633 out of the total 30,864 cases recorded in 2021. Of the total 30,957 .
The National Commission for Women (NCW) registered 28,811 complaints of crime against women last year and about 55 per cent were from Uttar Pradesh. The highest number of complaints were received in the right to dignity category that involves harassment other than domestic violence and it stood at 8,540, according to NCW data. This was followed by 6,274 complaints of domestic violence. Dowry harassment complaints stood at 4,797, molestation complaints at 2,349, police apathy against women complaints at 1,618, and rape and attempt to rape complaints at 1,537, the data showed. There were 805 complaints of sexual harassment, 605 of cyber crime, 472 of stalking and 409 of honour crimes, it stated. Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of complaints at 16,109 followed by Delhi 2,411, Maharashtra at 1,343, according to the data. Bihar recorded 1,312 complaints, Madhya Pradesh 1,165, Haryana 1,115, Rajasthan 1,011, Tamil Nadu 608, West Bengal 569 and Karnataka 501. The number of ...