NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi government has in principle agreed to empower the National Commission for Women , tasked to protect women against all types of aggression, with the authority to order police to arrest repeat offenders, probe a crime and seek report like a criminal court.

Long considered a toothless body with only advisory powers, the Centre’s intention to empower the NCW with jurisdiction to direct police to arrest accused in crimes against women would enhance it almost to the level of the National Human Rights Commission, which takes up investigation suo motu into rights violation cases.

Like a criminal court, the NCW with the proposed powers can fix a time limit for police to investigate a crime and submit its report before the designated court. This would ensure that police exercised no lethargy in investigating crimes against women.

Sources said the law ministry has agreed to the proposed amendments to give powers to NCW on the lines of NHRC but not the authority to order arrest as demanded by the Commission. As of now, the Commission found it difficult even to secure presence of an accused as it didn’t have any penal powers. The proposed amendments may give it certain powers under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) to direct police to produce an accused before it in case of refusal of summons.

The NCW had demanded same powers as NHRC, which the law ministry thinks is not possible since every member and the chairman of the right body is a judicial member unlike the NCW.

Sources said the law ministry has also agreed for a provision for appointment of eminent jurists as the NCW chairperson instead of former judges, as proposed by the ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD).

Appointment of a chairperson only from the category of eminent jurists – which can be a senior advocate or a retired judge – is intended not to confine the choice of having a former judge as the NCW chief.

The draft NCW amendment bill is likely to be put up by the WCD ministry on its website in the next few days inviting suggestions before it is finalized. The bill is proposed to be tabled in the winter session of Parliament.

Last year, the government had made it mandatory for every parent ministry proposing any amendment to put up the draft bill in public domain inviting suggestions. Only after stakeholders’ opinions are received and judiciously incorporated can the bill be finalized and brought before the Cabinet and then tabled in Parliament for its passage.

The law ministry is also considering at least half-a-dozen other bills that may be introduced during the winter session. The proposed bills are likely to be finalized in the coming week, sources said.

