Rupali Chakankar resigned as the chairperson on March 20 and the post has since been vacant
“At any given time, a little over 2,000 cases are always pending. He said it violated the Maharashtra State Commission for Women Act, 1993, and pointed to repeated high court directions on timely appointments.
“The state government is understood to be considering the appointment of seven members to the panel, with the selection process expected to take into account candidates’ knowledge and experience of women’s issues,” a source from the commission said on Saturday. The vacancies have affected the functioning of the statutory, quasi-judicial body, said a former commission member. With no members appointed, it only delays it further,” the commission source said. Durve said the delay could hamper the commission’s functioning and deprive women of timely relief. “Govt should not delay the appointments unnecessarily, especially when so many cases are pending,” he said.
The commission has written to state govt twice, seeking appointments to fill the posts. Its work depends on collective decision-making, and the absence of a chairperson and non-official members can weaken its ability to examine grievances, scrutinise complaints and pursue cases.