Women’s panel gets 1st complaint from J&K UT

We have taken cognisance of the matter and sent a notice with regards to the complaint to the DGP NCW STATEMENT

A case of domestic abuse from Srinagar is the first complaint that the National Commission for Women has received from Jammu and Kashmir after it officially became a Union Territory on October 31.

The complaint was filed on November 5 with the NCW by the survivor’s uncle, who is a government functionary.

NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said the woman who has been married for over a decade was asked to leave her home by her husband, who then remarried. “She had suffered physical and emotional abuse, and since the man’s second marriage has religious sanction, the complainant cannot seek action against that.”

Sharma added that the woman was seeking a divorce, which her husband was reportedly denying her. She has also sought her valuables and jewellery that she alleged she was not permitted to take with her.

“The Commission received its first complaint from J&K after it became a UT. We have taken cognisance of the matter and sent a notice with regards to the complaint to the DGP,” an NCW statement read.

As per the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019, the State Commission for Protection of Women and Child Rights (SCPWCR) ceased to exist. Nayeema Ahmed Majhoor was the last chairperson who served from June 2015 to June 2018. After governor’s rule was imposed in J&K, its offices in Srinagar and Jammu were taken over by the State Law Commission.