NCW maintains it has no information whether its chairperson/member can have political affiliation
Petitioner to move Central Information Commission, says he was making specific reference to a member who openly declared her support to the BJP on her social media page
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has reaffirmed that there was no information available on record to explain whether its current chairperson and members could have any political affiliation.
The reply was in response to the first appeal filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, by Raj Kapil, a professor of Criminology. The NCW’s First Appellate Authority (FAA) upheld the decision of the Chief Public Information Officer (CPIO), stating that the information provided was “as per the records available.”
Mr. Kapil had sought clarifications on whether the current chairperson and members of the NCW, a quasi-judicial body established under Section 10 of the National Commission for Women Act, 1990, could be affiliated with any political party. He further enquired whether they were permitted to participate in any political party meeting and if not, what legal or disciplinary action would follow in case of any violation of the rule.
The CPIO provided a uniform reply, merely stating that the NCW was a statutory body established by the NCW Act under the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The chairperson and members were appointed by the Government of India. To the question on political affiliations, it said: “From the records in this office, no such information is available.”
Unhappy with this response, Mr. Kapil filed an appeal with the FAA, expressing his dissatisfaction. He argued that the reply from a national quasi-judicial commission with statutory powers to investigate and address issues related to the safeguards for women under the Constitution and other laws, was inadequate.
He urged the FAA to ensure that the NCW provided complete and transparent information, in line with the objectives of the RTI Act, 2005. The FAA, however, dismissed the appeal, stating that the CPIO’s reply was consistent with the records available in the office at that time.
Mr. Kapil said he was making a specific reference to a current NCW member who had openly declared her support to the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on her social media page. He said he would appeal against the public authority’s decision before the Central Information Commission.
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