The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said there could be no justification for the Delhi government to keep the posts of chairperson and members of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) vacant or to deny the body adequate staff, stressing that the commission performs crucial statutory functions for women’s welfare.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia directed the Delhi government’s counsel to obtain instructions on the steps taken to fill the vacancies and ensure that the commission does not shut down. The matter has been listed for hearing next Wednesday.
Referring to the functions assigned to the DCW under Section 10 of the Delhi Commission for Women Act, 1994, the court observed that the commission carries out important duties for the protection and welfare of women.
“There cannot be any reason whatsoever for not filling up the vacancies in the office of the chairperson and members and for not providing adequate staff to DCW,” the bench said.
The court asked the government to clarify what measures have been taken to appoint the chairperson and members and to prevent the commission from becoming non-functional.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by Buxar MP Sudhakar Singh seeking a direction to fill the vacant posts in a time-bound manner.
According to the petitioner, the DCW has effectively remained “closed” since January 24 due to the absence of members and staff. Advocate Satyam Singh, appearing for the petitioner, argued that the non-functioning of the commission has halted several statutory programmes and support mechanisms for women.
The plea stated that key initiatives such as the Sahyogini Family Counselling Unit, Helpdesk, Rape Crisis Cell, Crisis Intervention Centres, Mobile Helpline, Mahila Panchayat programme and Women Helpline 181 have been disrupted.
The petition relied on the National Crime Records Bureau’s Crime in India 2023 report, released in September 2025, which recorded more than 13,000 crimes against women in Delhi in 2023, including over 1,000 rape cases. It argued that the continued non-functioning of the statutory body aggravates women’s vulnerability and denies them access to specialised grievance redressal mechanisms.
The plea contended that the paralysis of the DCW violates Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution by defeating special protective measures for women and denying them an effective institutional remedy.
The Delhi government’s counsel told the court that he would verify the claims made in the PIL.
The High Court has sought instructions from the authorities and will consider the matter further on the next date of hearing.
