Vacant key posts stall work at child & women commissions in state

Jaipur: Work at Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (RSCPCR) and Rajasthan State Commission for Women has come to a halt due to long-pending vacancies in the chairperson posts, leaving complainants in limbo. On Thursday, the Rajasthan High Court pulled up the state govt for failing to fill critical posts in child rights bodies. The court's remarks came after it took suo motu cognisance of a report highlighting severe vacancies in RSCPCR, juvenile justice boards (JJBs), and child welfare committees (CWCs).

Without a chairperson, the commissions are unable to register or dispose of complaints. "The commission cannot function without a chairperson's approval, which is required for taking up and closing cases. People are still calling me with issues, but now there's no one to approach officially," said former RSCPCR chairperson Sangeeta Beniwal.

Officials at RSCPCR declined to share data on pending complaints but admitted that field visits and public hearings have reduced significantly in the absence of leadership. At the Rajasthan State Commission for Women, which has been without a chairperson since Feb, complainants are also facing hurdles. "We have been visiting the office for two weeks, but no one is registering our complaint. We are just being redirected to the police," said a complainant to TOI.

Commission officials said that cases can only be registered after the chairperson's review and signature. "Rules do not allow for an acting chairperson. If an extension had been granted to the previous chairperson, cases could have been addressed," said Rehana Reyaz, former women's commission chairperson.