Indira Jaisingh

The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Monday said it would now issue arrest warrants against people who fail to appear before it despite being summoned, an official statement said.

The commission also said it has sought senior lawyer Indira Jaisingh’s opinion on the matter.

Jaisingh opined that the DCW not only could issue arrest warrant but also attach the property of the person who fails to appear before it.

“It is shocking to note that all other State Women Commissions too possess the same powers but these are never used. The opinion given by Jaising in writing clarifies that the Commission has the authority to issue arrest warrants and property attachments against persons who fail to appear before the Commission on the summons issued to them,” the DCW statement added.

DCW chief Swati Maliwal also tweeted that the commission would now act in cases that are deemed fit for it in accordance with the authority given.

“From now on, in cases deemed fit, DCW will issue arrest warrants and attach property of people who do not appear in DCW on DCW summons,” she tweeted.

Jaising slams progress on sexual violence: ASG Indira Jaising, in a personal capacity, writes how women remain as vulnerable under the system as they were before December 2012, despite protests and promises of reform in the Delhi gang rape: “Bias is embedded in the practice and procedure of trials… The patronising attitudes of law enforcement agencies are truly dangerous… The problem is that we have fostered an environment of impunity for the act and that is why we have not succeeded in changing the attitude.”  [Indian Express]

DoT to revise telecoms M&A norms, upping max merged market share to 50%: The Department of Telecommunications is considering allowing a 50 per cent market share to merged telecoms entities, instead of the earlier 35 per cent, as well as permitting retention of two blocks of 3G spectrum in its new M&A guidelines to be discussed on Tuesday [Zee News]

Supreme Court Insider: Verbal explosives were hurled across the aisle during the Sohrabuddin fake encounter hearing in the Supreme Court of India today between additional solicitor general Indira Jaising, senior advocate Ram Jethmalani and former solicitor general Gopal Subramanium.

A Supreme Court of India judgment, while defining “Common Law Marriage”, cited as a source Wikipedia, the online encyclopaedia anyone can edit. The same judgment on live-in relationships was also slammed by additional solicitor general Indira Jaisingh for using gender biased terms “one night stand” and “keep”.