The All Women Police Stations (AWPS) in the city must register complaints whenever any affected woman approaches them, said S.P. Sarguna Pandian, chairperson, Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women, here on Monday.
Addressing a review meeting of cases at the Chennai Collectorate, she said almost half of the cases reported to the commission were not registered as complaints in the police stations.
Of the 708 cases registered with the commission in Chennai since 2007, 394 were under inquiry and 196 were in the court. A total of 171 cases were pending.
Most of the cases related to dowry harassment and domestic violence. Cases pertaining to sexual harassment, separation from husband and disputes over alimony and property were also received.
Awareness must be created about women's rights and the commission. Domestic Violence Act, 2005, had been helpful in solving the cases. The commission would also take action if men are found to be affected in the cases, she said.
It also tried resolving pending cases by counselling the disputing parties as part of its efforts to complete the inquiry, Ms. Pandian added.
Social Welfare Department Commissioner M.B. Nirmala called for proper inquiry of the cases received.
This was the tenth such meeting that the commission has conducted in various districts in four months. Besides reviewing pending cases, five petitions were also received. The AWPS inspectors were asked to follow up on the cases and send the report to the commission. Chennai Collector V. Shobana spoke.
