PANAJI
The Goa State Commission for Women has resolved 104 complaints in the last eight months since the start of its hearings in October 2023.
Chairperson Ranjita Pai, who took charge in March 2023, faced initial delays as the committee was not fully constituted until October.
Once set up, the Commission began hearings holding 397 sessions as of July 4, which included a few backlogs. The hearings were fast-tracked last month.
Speaking to The Goan, Pai confirmed that the committee has taken up hearings into several related complaints including marital discord and neighbour disputes. “Majority cases are resolved while some cases that required further intervention, were forwarded to free legal services, block development officers or other relevant authorities for appropriate action,” she said.
The Commission has seen a high volume of cases involving marital discord often due to ego clashes, parental interference and lack of family values. Neighbour disputes, particularly those involving the violation of women’s dignity, are the second most common type of case.
“There are also cases where mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law are not on good terms. While several petty issues have also been raised before us, most are resolved by consensus,” Pai added. “We also have couples seeking solutions to save their marriages.”
With many cases already disposed, the Commission plans to tackle the backlog from 2020-21 alongside ongoing and new cases. “We will draft notices for those backlog cases,” she said.
The State government had just last year released data wherein around 1,200 divorce cases were registered from 2020 to June 2023, with the first half of 2023 witnessing a peak of 254 divorces. These cases were reported before the Civil Courts.
Former Law Minister Nilesh Cabral in 2021 announced to start premarital counselling sessions for couples registering for marriage, proposal which is yet to take shape.
