Justice On Hold: Jharkhand State Women Commission Defunct For Five Years, 4000 Cases Pending

Five years have passed the Jharkhand State Women Commission has remained non-functional. Since June 7, 2020, the commission has remained defunct. Between that date and December 31, 2025, as many as 3,982 women registered complaints, yet not a single case has been resolved. Most of these complaints relate to domestic violence, dowry harassment and sexual harassment, which are issues that demand timely institutional intervention but have instead languished in bureaucratic limbo.

In Ranchi, the state capital, a middle-aged woman employed as a sweeper in a government office alleges that a staff member harassed her. When she complained to a senior official, she says she was not given justice but was instead dismissed from her job.

With no option left, the woman approached the State Women Commission and registered her complaint. The Commission gave her a counselling date, but before any hearing could take place, its tenure ended. As a result, her application has remained pending, effectively gathering dust while she continues to seek justice.

Speaking to Outlook India, the survivor said she has been wandering in search of justice ever since. She claimed she visited the Women Commission at least 12 to 15 times, but her case has never been heard. According to her, she suffered “double injustice” — first molestation, and then dismissal from her job.

The survivor is the sole earning member of her family. Her husband is ill and stays at home, and she has a young daughter. She remained unemployed for years before finally finding work at a private school for Rs 5,000 per month as a cleaner. She says she does not know when her case will be heard or when she will receive justice.

Another woman from Ranchi’s Hatia area is also waiting for justice. She was married in 2019, but within a few months, her husband abandoned her. Her brother filed a complaint with the State Women Commission the same year, stating that the husband refused to take her back, allegedly claiming that she was “not beautiful enough.” No action has been taken in the case so far, and she continues to wait.

Responding to the nearly 4,000 pending complaints, Bikram Ram, Under Secretary in the Jharkhand Women, Child Development and Social Security Department, said that without a Chairperson and members, the Commission has no power to conduct hearings. He stated that the reconstitution of the Commission is the responsibility of the government and the department, and therefore he could not comment further.

According to officials associated with the Commission, two to three new complaints are still being filed every day. Employees say that women continue to visit repeatedly in the hope that hearings may resume and their cases may finally be addressed.

On one hand, the Government of Jharkhand led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren is running the “Maiyaan Samman Yojana,” under which eligible women receive Rs 2,500 per month as financial assistance. On the other hand, the very institution meant to ensure justice for women — the Jharkhand State Women Commission — has remained headless for nearly five years, leaving thousands without institutional redress.

The National Commission for Women, established in 1992, is a statutory body responsible for protecting women’s constitutional and legal rights in India. It monitors cases of domestic violence, dowry harassment, workplace sexual harassment, and other crimes against women. It can take suo motu cognizance, recommend legal reforms, and ensure that authorities act. State Women Commissions function on similar lines and are generally reconstituted every three years.

Before June 7, 2020, Kalyani Sharan served as Chairperson of the Commission. She claims that during her tenure, around 4,500 complaints were disposed of. She said that whenever incidents involving women occurred, she took suo motu cognizance, held hearings promptly, conducted counselling sessions, and resolved most cases within three to four months.

Targeting Chief Minister Hemant Soren, she questioned why the Commission has not been reconstituted despite rising cases of witch-hunting killings, domestic violence, trafficking, sexual violence, rape, migration, and dowry harassment in the state. She argued that if the Commission were functional, it would have intervened and women would not be forced to wander in search of justice. She also alleged that the government did not pay her salary for the final three months of her tenure.

According to the 2023 report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the situation of crimes against women in Jharkhand remains concerning. In 2023, a total of 6,989 cases of crimes against women were registered in the state. Jharkhand ranked highest in the country in dowry harassment, with 1,487 cases at a rate of 7.7 per lakh population, along with 218 dowry-related deaths.

The state’s record in rape cases is also serious. In 2022, 1,298 rape cases were registered. From 2020 to June 2024, a total of 7,431 rape cases were reported, averaging nearly four to five incidents per day.

Under the Hemant Soren-led government, several important commissions and boards have reportedly remained without chairpersons or members for extended periods. The Jharkhand State Minority Commission was reconstituted after three years, and the Jharkhand Waqf Board after five years. The Jharkhand State Information Commission remained effectively inactive for nearly five years due to vacant posts, and appointments to the Jharkhand State Human Rights Commission have also remained incomplete.

Although delays in reconstituting the Women Commission have occurred in the past, never has there been a gap of five years or more. Leaders from coalition partner Indian National Congress have also expressed concern. Former Jharkhand Mahila Congress state president Gunjan Singh reportedly said that despite being in power, the government has failed to constitute the Women Commission, leaving many women’s cases pending and denying them justice.

Two months ago, a team from the National Commission for Women visited Jharkhand and raised concerns over the delay. During a December 2025 visit, its Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar said that the delay in constituting the State Women Commission is a serious issue affecting the protection of women’s rights and should be addressed urgently.

National Commission for Women member Mamta Kumari said that since 2023 she has written five letters to the Chief Minister requesting the Commission’s formation and sought appointments multiple times but was not granted a meeting. She stated that due to the absence of the State Commission, women are now approaching the National Commission directly. While that is positive, she noted that not every woman can easily reach the national body, and a functioning State Commission would make justice more accessible.

Amid growing demands for reconstitution, the High Court, while hearing a petition, has directed the state government to clarify its position and file a response within four weeks. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for March 17.

The prolonged delay in reconstituting commissions, boards, and corporations in Jharkhand is increasingly being seen not merely as administrative negligence but as a consequence of coalition politics. In the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led government, appointments to commissions and boards involve balancing caste, regional, and gender representation among coalition partners. Deciding which party gets which post has reportedly become a sensitive political process, contributing to delays.

Former Jharkhand minister and Congress working president Bandhu Tirkey said that it is deeply concerning that the Court has had to intervene. He stated that the Chief Minister is authorized to constitute boards and commissions, and failure to do so is not in the state’s interest, as it gives the opposition an opportunity to attack the government.