# National Commission for Women

The National Commission for Women (NCW) is a statutory body of the Government of India, generally concerned with advising the government on all policy matters affecting women. It was established on 31 January 1992 under the provisions of National Commission for Women Act, 1990. The first head of the commission was Jayanti Patnaik. As of 19 October 2024, Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar
is the chairperson.

## Activities

The objective of the NCW is to represent the rights of women in India and to provide a voice for their issues and concerns. The subjects of their campaigns have included dowry, politics, religion, equal representation for women in jobs, and the exploitation of women for labour. They have also discussed police abuses against women.
The commission regularly publishes a monthly newsletter, Rashtra Mahila, in both Hindi and English.

## Controversies
### Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code

In December 2006 and January 2007, the NCW found itself at the center of a minor controversy over its insistence that Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code not be changed to make adulterous wives equally prosecutable by their husbands.
   But the grounds on which Ms. Vyas resists the logic of making this a criminal offence — particularly for women, as often recommended — are not as encouraging. She is averse to holding the adulterous woman equally culpable as the adulterous man because women, she believes, are never offenders. They are always the victims.
The NCW has demanded that women should not be punished for adultery, as a woman is "the victim and not an offender" in such cases. They have also advocated the amendment of Section 198 of the CrPC to allow women to file complaints against unfaithful husbands and prosecute them for their promiscuous behaviour. This was in response to "loopholes" in the Indian Penal Code that allowed men to file adultery charges against other men who have engaged in illicit relations but did not allow women to file charges against their husbands.
The Commission has also worked to guarantee women security in unconventional relationships.

### Mangalore pub attack controversy

The NCW came under sharp criticism for their response to the attack by forty male members of the Hindu right-wing Sri Ram Sena on eight women in a bar in Mangalore in late January 2009. Video from the attack shows the women were punched, pulled by their hair, and thrown out of the pub.
NCW member Nirmala Venkatesh was sent to assess the situation, and said in an interview that the pub did not have adequate security and that the women should have protected themselves. Venkatesh said, "If the girls feel they were not doing anything wrong why are they afraid to come forward and give a statement?" On 6 February, the NCW said they decided not to accept Venkatesh's report but would not be sending a new team to Mangalore. On 27 February, the Prime Minister's Office approved the removal of Nirmala Venkatesh on disciplinary grounds.

### Guwahati molestation controversy

The NCW came under fire again after the molestation of a 17-year-old girl by a gang of men outside a pub in Guwahati on 9 July 2012. NCW member Alka Lamba was accused of leaking the name of the minor victim to the media, and was subsequently removed from the fact-finding committee, though she remains a member of the commission. The following week, NCW chairperson Mamta Sharma made comments suggesting that women "be careful how you dress", which invited criticism that she was guilty of victim blaming. The controversy led activists to call for a restructuring of the commission.

### Badaun rape and murder controversy

In 2021, the NCW was once again criticized for engaging in victim blaming following the gang rape and murder of a woman in Badaun, Uttar Pradesh. A two-member delegation from the NCW was sent to the site of the incident to meet with the victim's family and prepare a fact-finding report. NCW member Chandramukhi Devi, who was part of the delegation, stated to the press that part of the blame for the incident lay with the victim, as she had chosen to visit the temple late in the evening. Devi stated, "A woman should not go out at odd hours under the influence of somebody. I think if she had not gone out in the evening, or had some child along with her, this could have been prevented." The comments attracted wide criticism on social media, as well as from celebrities. Following public criticism, Devi withdrew her remarks.

### LGBTQ members

The NCW has faced widespread condemnation for inaction in matters involving LGBTQ members, especially women who are lesbian and queer. Despite the decriminalization of homosexuality and striking down Section 377, LGBTQ members, mostly lesbians, have faced threats to life and been ostracized, sometimes even been forcibly married, as homosexuality has been still perceived as unnatural, a mental disease, and socially unacceptable due to conservative attitudes, although since 2010s, acceptance has risen. While legal protections and rights exist for transwomen, the same are not extended towards lesbian and queer adult women. This has compelled lesbian couples to run away from homes and approach the judiciary for protection from threats given by parents and sometimes forcibly undergo conversion therapy, as law enforcement officials and NCW members often refuse to act on complaints filed by queer couples.

### Inaction against Political leaders

The NCW has faced flak for inaction against political leaders for insensitive comments against women, especially on serious matters like rape. Despite complaints, no action is taken, especially during election periods - Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav reportedly made several sexist comments in 2010 regarding the Women's Reservation Bill. Furthermore, at an election rally during the 2014 elections, he stated that "Boys are boys, they make mistakes, why hand them for rape." On 19 August 2015, Yadav remarked that gang-rapes are impractical and rape-victims in those cases tend to lie, for which he was summoned by the Judicial Magistrate of Mahoba district court in Uttar Pradesh for that remark.His remarks were heavily criticized and despite complaints to the Election Commission and NCW, no action was taken against him, and he was elected from the constituency of Mainpuri in the 2014 elections.

## Chairwomen

| No. | Name | From | To |
| 1 | Jayanti Patnaik | 3 February 1992 | 30 January 1995 |
| 2 | V. Mohini Giri | 21 July 1995 | 20 July 1998 |
| 3 | Vibha Parthasarathy | 18 January 1999 | 17 January 2002 |
| 4 | Poornima Advani | 25 January 2002 | 24 January 2005 |
| 5 | Girija Vyas | 16 February 2005 | 15 February 2008 |
| (5) | Girija Vyas | 9 April 2008 | 8 April 2011 |
| 6 | Mamta Sharma | 2 August 2011 | 1 August 2014 |
| 7 | Lalitha Kumaramangalam | 29 September 2014 | 28 September 2017 |
| 8 | Rekha Sharma | 7 August 2018 | 7 August 2024 |
| 9 | Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar | 19 October 2024 | Incumbent |

## State Level Women Commission

Following is the list of state level women commissions
| Rank | State | States Women commission |
| 1 | Andhra Pradesh | Andhra Pradesh Women Commission |
| 2 | Arunachal Pradesh | Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women |
| 3 | Assam | Assam State Commission for Women |
| 4 | Bihar | Bihar State Women Commission |
| 5 | Chhattisgarh | Chhattisgarh State Women Commission |
| 6 | Goa | Goa State Commission For Women |
| 7 | Gujarat | Gujarat State Commission For Women |
| 8 | Haryana | Haryana State Commission for Women |
| 9 | Himachal Pradesh | Himachal Pradesh State Commission for Women |
| 10 | Jammu and Kashmir | Jammu and Kashmir State Commission for Women |
| 11 | Jharkhand | Jharkhand State Commission for Women |
| 12 | Karnataka | Karnataka State Commission for Women |
| 13 | Kerala | Kerala Women's Commission |
| 14 | Madhya Pradesh | Madhya Pradesh State Commission For Women |
| 15 | Maharashtra | Maharashtra State Commission for Woman |
| 16 | Manipur | Manipur State Commission for Women |
| 17 | Meghalaya | Meghalaya State Commission for Women |
| 18 | Mizoram | Mizoram State Commission for Women |
| 19 | Nagaland | Nagaland Women Commission |
| 20 | Odisha | Odisha State Commission For Women |
| 21 | Punjab | Punjab State Commission For Women |
| 22 | Rajasthan | Rajasthan State Commission For Women |
| 22 | Sikkim | Sikkim State Commission For Women |
| 23 | Tamil Nadu | Tamil Nadu State Commission For Women |
| 24 | Telangana | Telangana State Women Commission |
| 25 | Tripura | Tripura State Commission For Women |
| 26 | Uttar Pradesh | Uttar Pradesh State Women Commission |
| 27 | Uttarakhand | Uttarakhand State Commission For Women |
| 28 | West Bengal | West Bengal Commission for Women |
| 29 | Delhi | Delhi Commission for Women |
| 30 | Pondicherry | Puducherry Women Commission |