PANAJI
With nearly 390 pending cases, the newly constituted panel of the Goa State Commission for Women (GSCW) will commence its first hearing this Friday, marking the end of an almost 19-month hiatus since the Chairperson’s position fell vacant.
Ranjita Pai, who took over the charge as GSCW Chairperson in March 2023, stated the Commission will handle 20 cases during its hearings, which takes place every Tuesday and Thursday, to expedite the clearance of the backlog.
Although the maiden hearing was initially scheduled for Thursday, Pai cited the inauguration of the National Games as the reason for the postponement. “Complainants and respondents travel from different parts of Goa and because the traffic will be diverted owing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit for the Games inaugural, we had to make this temporary arrangement. We do not want any inconvenience for the parties attending the hearing,” she stated.
The State government’s prolonged delay in constituting the new committee for nearly a year had rendered the Commission defunct. Moreover, although the Chairperson was appointed in March, the completion of the Commission in terms of appointment of members, etc was done only this month, on October 3 followed by a notification.
As a result, the number of backlog cases surged from 322 to 390 during this period.
Pai stated that the Commission’s priority for cases is yet to be determined, though, she said, all cases are given ‘special priority.’ However, they have decided to equally distribute cases among new and old ones.
“We will hear 10 cases, both new and old, on each designated hearing day,” she revealed, adding that Mondays will be reserved for addressing grievances of aggrieved parties, while the remaining two days of the week, Wednesday and Friday, will be dedicated to site visits.
“We have a vibrant committee. We are hopeful to clear the backlog in two months,” she stated.
