Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): It may take at least three years for the Madhya Pradesh State Commission for Women (SWC) to clear the massive backlog of cases pending before it. More than 30,000 cases are currently pending with the Commission, which was reconstituted in May this year after a gap of nearly seven years.

The Commission had been functioning without a chairperson or members since 2019 after the term of then chairperson Lata Wankhede ended. The state government appointed Rekha Yadav as chairperson and Sadhna Sthapak as a member of the Commission in May this year. They assumed charge on May 5.

The first hearing of the reconstituted Commission was held on May 25, when a total of 40 cases were placed before the two-member bench. Since then, the Commission has held eight public hearings in Bhopal, during which 266 cases were taken up. Of these, around 57 have been disposed of and the remaining 209 are under process.

In addition, the Commission has disposed of 269 cases based on reports, taking the total number of disposed cases to 326. The Commission has set a target of disposing of around 1,000 old cases every month while continuing to hear fresh cases.

At this pace, it would take around three years to clear the backlog. Around 20,000 fresh cases are expected to be filed before the Commission during this period, secretary to the Commission Suresh Tomar said.

The Commission holds hearings on Mondays and Tuesdays. Based on the experience of the first hearing, the number of cases listed before the bench has been reduced from 40 to 30. So far, hearings have been held only in Bhopal, where cases from the city and nearby districts were taken up.

"Next month, we plan to hold hearings in Jabalpur, Indore and Gwalior. In September, hearings will be organised in districts with higher pendency, including Ujjain, Sagar, Bhind, Morena, Shivpuri, Ratlam and Mandsaur," Tomar said.

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