Directs State Women Commission to vacate its premises
The Typewriter
Jammu, March 28
The Jammu and Kashmir Government which has miserably failed to come to the rescue of hapless women of the state, has now succumbed to the pressures of a retired J&K High Court judge and has ordered the Jammu and Kashmir State Commission for Protection of Women and Child Rights (formerly, J&K State Commission for Women) to vacate its offices, both in Jammu and Srinagar cities at Pragati Bhawan, Bahu Plaza and Old Assembly Complex, Badshah Bridge, respectively.
The instructions in this regard, have already been issued with the directions to immediately vacate the women’s commission offices.
In order to make the State Law Commission , J&K functional, sanction is hereby accorded to the allotment of the following accommodation presently under occupation of the State Commission for Women, J&K to the State Law Commission with immediate effect,’ the order issued vide Government order No. 30-Est of 2019 dated 26.3.2019 reads and under endorsement No. Est/Allot/OA/Adv Boards/J/04/2010.
This move of ordering to vacate the premises of State Women Commission in favour of State Law Commission clearly shows how the Governor administration has been influenced by a retired High Court Judge who had not only been rehabilitated after his retirement but was also looking for a ‘good accommodation’ for his new office.
The sources said that he and his officers were on the lookout for a good accommodation for his office both at capital cities i.e Srinagar and Jammu and after proper reece, they shortlisted Women Commission’s office and pressurized the Governor administration led by its Chief Secretary to allot Women commission’s accommodation for his office both at Jammu and Srinagar.
The Women’s Commission office which is already headless for the past almost ten months now, is already not been able to work to help the women victims and thus the purpose of creating this powerful institution is being jeopardised. This move to get it vacated from its present premises, is also been seen clearly as a government move to put all women and child issues on the back seat.
This clearly shows that the present administration is not sincere and serious about women and child issues as both these offices at Jammu and Srinagar are public dealing office and hundreds of women visit the same for the redressal of their grievance, said the sources adding that in the absence of centrally located offices, the women and children would not be able to come forth with their issues and grievance.
Besides, the State Law Commission which has been recently constituted, is not a public dealing office and can be established at any other accommodation.
The judge in question, retired Justice MK Hanjiura who retired about 4-5 months ago and was rehabilitated by the Governor Administration in January 2019 by nominating him as founding Chairperson of Jammu and Kashmir State Law Commission, used his good offices and influence and persuaded the government to give him ‘’Women Commission’’ accommodation , both in Jammu and Srinagar.
The J&K Commission for the Protection of Women and Child Rights which has already been suffering a lot as it is the only institution in the state to help and address the grievance of the women who constitute almost 50 percent of state’s population,
It is pertinent to mention here that the J&K State Commission for Women, constituted in the year 2000, was mandated to secure and ensure the safeguard of the rights of the women in the State as enshrined in the Constitution and other laws in force.
Recently, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir had amended in the Jammu and Kashmir State Commission for Women Act, 1999, and had enacted Jammu and Kashmir State Commission for Protection of Women and Child Rights Act, 2018. With this, the ambit and scope of the activities of the Commission was now broad based.
But before it could start working on both women and child issues, it has been told to vacate its offices.
Meanwhile the office of the Commission has since been accommodated in the suitable places in both the Regions where aggrieved women’s are easily accessed to file their complaint or attending the hearing of their cases. In this context, both the offices of J&K State Commission for Protection of Women and Child Rights Jammu as well as Srinagar has been dislocated which has since been occupied by this Commission and has been allotted to newly constituted viz. State Law Commission to make it functional seems to have injustice with this Commission .
