Chapter III FUNCTIONS AND POWERS OF THE COMMISSION

1. (1) The Commission shall perform all or any of the following functions namely :-
   • (a) investigate and examine all matters relating to the safeguard provided for women under the Constitution and other laws;
   • (b) present to the Government, annually and at such other times as the Commission may deem fit, reports upon the working of those safeguards;
   • (c) make in such reports recommendations for the effective implementation of those safeguards for improving the conditions of women by the State;
   • (d) review, from time to time, the existing provisions of the Constitution and other laws affecting the women and recommend amendments thereto so as to suggest remedial legislative measures to meet any lacune or inadequacies or shortcomings in such legislations;
   • (e) take up the cases of violation of the provisions of the Constitution and of other laws relating to women with the appropriate authorities;
   • (f) look into complaints and take suo-moto notice of matters relating to,-
     • (i) deprivation of women's rights;
     • (ii) non-implementation of laws enacted to provide protection to women and also to achieve the objective of equality and development;
     • (iii) non-compliance of policy decision, guidelines or instructions aimed at mitigating hardships and ensuring welfare and providing relief to women and take up the issues arising out of such matters with appropriate authorities;
   • (g) call for special studies or investigation into specific problems or situations arising out of discrimination and atrocities against women and identify the constraints so as to recommend strategies for their removal;
   • (h) undertake promotional and educational research so as to suggest ways of ensuring due representation of women in all spheres and identify factors responsible for impending their advancement, such as, lack of access to housing and basic services, inadequate support services and technologies for reducing drudgery and occupational health hazards and for increasing their productivity;
     • (i) inspect or cause to be inspected a jail, remand home, women's institution or other place of custody where women are kept as prisoners or otherwise and take up with the concerned authorities for remedial action, wherever found necessary;
   • (j) fund litigation involving issues affecting a large body of women;
   • (k) participate and advice on the planning process of socio-economic development of women;
   • (l) evaluate the progress of the development of women under the State;
   • (m) make periodical report to the Government on any matter pertaining to women and in particular various difficulties under which women toil;
   • (n) involve with voluntary organisations in the State, more particularly women's organisations besides governmental departments and its agencies in the discharging of its functions;
   • (o) assist the women to ensure equal and fair justice in matrimonial disputes before the family courts;
   • (p) any other matter which may be referred to it by the Government: Provided that if any matter specified in sub-section (1) is undertaken by the National Commission for Women constituted under section 3 of the National Commission for Women Act, 1990 (Central Act 20 of 1990), the State Commission for women shall cease to have jurisdiction in such matters.
2. (2) If authorities referred to in clause (e) of sub-section (1), fails to take any action on the suggestions or recommendations made by the Commission, it may report the same to the Government which shall take necessary action.
3. (3) The Government shall cause the recommendations of the Commission to be laid before each House of the State Legislature along with the memorandum explaining the action taken or proposed to be taken on the recommendations and the reasons for nonacceptance, if any, of any such recommendations.

The Commissions shall, while investigating any matter for the purposes of this Act, have all the powers of a civil court under Civil Procedure Code, 1908 (Central Act 5 of 1908) in trying a suit and in particular in respect of the following matters namely:-

1. (a) summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person from any part of the State and examining him on oath;
2. (b) requiring the discovery and production of any documents;
3. (c) receiving evidence on affidavits;
4. (d) requisitioning or summoning any public records or copy thereof from any court or public office;
5. (e) issuing Commission for the examination of witnesses and documents; and
6. (f) any other matter which may be prescribed.

1. (1) The Commission may appoint such committees as may be necessary for dealing with such special issues as may be taken up by the Commission from time to time.
2. (2) The Commission shall have the power to co-opt as members including representatives of non-Governmental Organisations more particularly Women Organisation of any committee appointed under sub-section (1), such number of persons who are not members of the Commission, as it may think fit and the persons so co-opted shall have the right to attend the meetings of the committee and take part in its proceedings but shall not have the right to vote.
3. (3) The persons so co-opted shall be entitled to receive such allowances for attending the meetings of the committee as may be prescribed.