A child rights body can’t be headless for so long

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Amid a spate of student abuse cases in Mumbai, the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR) has been functioning without a chairperson for nearly three months. This, a mid-day report said, was between May and July, when the academic year begins for most schools and colleges. As of last month, the commission has 1,431 pending cases awaiting action.

Under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005, each State Commission must have a full-time chairperson and six appointed members, serving a term of three years. The last chairperson completed her term on May 3, 2025. She said in the report that decisions, hearings, and directions are all carried out by the chairperson and elected members. Whether it's POCSO cases or RTE complaints, many parents come to the commission seeking justice. The lack of a functional commission comes at a time when student abuse cases have surged.

A citizen activist even sent a legal notice to the relevant authorities. According to the notice, the chairperson's responsibilities have been temporarily assigned to an IAS officer. Procedure should be followed, and the MSCPCR must get a chairperson without delay. Children need protection and recourse to justice. We need a system where victims or the parents of victims are heard and have access to an immediate, accessible justice mechanism. To have a headless body, even if there is somebody filling in the vacancy temporarily, shows indecisiveness.

Let this body not be a headless one but shows its efficacy and gravitas with a chairperson and robust member base. It must inspire confidence in complainants and prove itself a real safety net for our children.