Swati Maliwal Explained

Office:Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
Birth Date:1984 10, df=y
Birth Place:Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Spouse:Naveen Jaihind (2012-2020)
Party:AAP
Residence:New Delhi, India
Constituency:Delhi
Term Start:19 January 2024
Predecessor:Sushil Kumar Gupta
Office1:Chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women
Term Start1:July 2015
Term End1:19 January 2024

Swati Maliwal (born 15 October 1984) is a social activist and politician. She currently serves as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha representing Delhi. She participated in the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement led by social activist Anna Hazare and later, served as the chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) from 2015 to 2024.

Early and personal life

Maliwal was born in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh on 15 October 1984. Her father was an officer of Indian Armed Forces and her mother was Sangita Maliwal.[1] She told later that she faced domestic abuse at the hands of her father, leading to a troubled childhood.[2] She went to Amity International School and received a bachelor's degree in Information Technology from the JSS Academy of Technical Education.[1]

On 23 January 2012, she married Naveen Jaihind, whom she had met during the early days of the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare.[1] Later, Naveen became a politician, representing the Aam Aadmi Party.[3] The couple divorced in February 2020.[4]

Social and political life

After her education, she joined a Non-governmental organization named "Parivartan" which was founded by Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia among others.[5] [6] She worked in grass-roots campaigns across India, as a part of the organization.[7] [8] In 2011, Maliwal was one of the committee that organized the India Against Corruption movement led by activist Anna Hazare, which later led to the passage of the Jan Lokpal Bill.[9]

She was appointed as the chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) in July 2015.[10] [11] She was one of the youngest to lead the women's commission.[12] She advocated for the passage of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which allowed minors from the ages of 16-18 years, to be tried as adults in case of heinous crimes.[13] During her tenure as the chairperson of DCW, she demanded greater accountability of Delhi police, which resulted in putting the commission in loggerheads with the police department.[14] [15]

In 2016, based on a petition by the commission, the Delhi High Court directed all police stations in Delhi to install CCTV cameras on their premises.[16] In December 2016, based on the direction of the Delhi High Court on a petition by the DCW, a special task force on women safety was constituted in Delhi.[17] In 2017, following the commission's request, Delhi police officers were asked to wear body cameras while on duty, to improve their accountability and reduce chances of misconduct.[18]

In April 2018, she went on a 10-day hunger strike demanding several reforms including the passage of laws mandating death penalty for individuals who rape children, recruiting police under the United Nations standards and more accountability of the police.[19] [20] [21] In 2019, she went on another hunger strike demanding expedited justice to rape survivors, correct utilization of Nirbhaya Fund and additional police resources to handle crimes against women.[22] [23] [24] She organized multiple campaigns and protests, advocating for time-bound stringent punishment for rapists and women safety.[25] [26]

In 2019, she led a 13-day march, covering crime-prone areas of Delhi to raise awareness about gender-based violence among local communities and register grievances.[27] [28] In November 2020, the DCW under Malliwal was involved in rescuing girls from child traffickers in Jharkhand.[29] During the 2023–2024 Manipur violence, Maliwal visited the state in July 2023 to gather details and sent her recommendations to the President of India.[30] [31]

During her tenure, the commission handled more than 1.7 lakh cases of domestic violence, rape and other crimes against women.[32] During her tenure, over 50,000 Mahila Panchayats were organized which served as community meetings for dispute resolution. Crisis Intervention Centre (CIC) and Rape Crisis Cell (RCC) were established, which provided medical attention, legal support and counseling to rape survivors.[33] [34] During her tenure, the DCW also addressed child trafficking and acid attack cases, which led to a passage of new laws regulating the working of spas, rehabilitation and free treatment for acid attack victims, as well as the ban of the retail sale of acid.[35] [36] [37] [38]

In January 2024, she was elected as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha representing Delhi.[39] [40]

Allegation of assault

On 13 May 2024, Maliwal alleged that she was assaulted by Bibhav Kumar, personal assistant to the Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal, at the residence of the Chief Minister.[41] [42] Maliwal made a call to the Police Control Room to report the incident and a first information report (FIR) was registered by the Delhi Police.[43] [44] Her statement was recorded on the matter with subsequent investigation undertaken by the Delhi police.[45] On 18 May 2024, Bibhav Kumar was arrested by Delhi police.[46]

Notes and References

  1. News: 11 January 2024. Lady Singham or Drama Queen? How 'Reluctant' Neta Swati Maliwal is Set to Change AAP's Rajya Sabha Fortunes. News18. 3 March 2024.
  2. News: 11 March 2023. Sexually abused by my father when I was a child: DCW chief Swati Maliwal. The Indian Express. 3 March 2024.
  3. News: 3 February 2014. Naveen Jaihind is AAP's LS candidate from Rohtak. 14 May 2024. Hindustan Times.
  4. News: 19 February 2020. My fairytale ended: DCW chief Swati Maliwal announces divorce from AAP leader Naveen Jaihind on Twitter. 14 May 2024. India Today.
  5. Book: Meera Johri. Greatness of Spirit: Profiles of Indian Magsaysay Award Winners. 2010. Rajpal & Sons. 978-81-7028-858-9. 199–.
  6. News: 5 January 2024. Who is DCW chief Swati Maliwal nominated for Rajya Sabha by AAP?. DNA India. 3 March 2024.
  7. News: DCW Chief Swati Maliwal is all for a change. India Today. 2 August 2015. 1 December 2023.
  8. News: 4 August 2018. Muzaffarpur shelter abuse case: Wouldn't you have taken action if any of the victims was your daughter, DCW chief asks Nitish. The Indian Express. 3 March 2024.
  9. News: Anti Corruption movement a watershed in India. Mint. 13 December 2019. 1 December 2023.
  10. News: 21 July 2015. Swati Maliwal Takes Charge as DCW Chief. https://web.archive.org/web/20181015002931/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-3747734501.html. dead. 15 October 2018. The Pioneer.
  11. News: Arvind Kejriwal Rejects Charges of Nepotism Over Appointing Women's Commission Chief. 14 May 2024. NDTV.
  12. News: Her pain should be our pain': the woman tackling Delhi's rape crisis. Safi. Michael. 5 May 2017. The Guardian. 14 October 2018.
  13. News: Midnight Drama to Halt Juvenile Release: SC to Hear Plea on 21st. The Quint. 21 March 2024. 1 April 2024.
  14. News: Women Commission summons Delhi top cop for not sharing data. 2 February 2016. Deccan Chronicle. 1 December 2023.
  15. News: Accountability of Delhi Police should be fixed: DCW to MHA in Kanjhawala case. 3 January 2023. The Print. 1 December 2023.
  16. News: SC directs all States & UTs to install CCTV Cameras in all Police Stations. 2 December 2020. 1 December 2023.
  17. News: 20 January 2017. Special task force for women safety reconstituted : Delhi High Court. The Indian Express. 3 March 2024.
  18. News: No CCTV no problem: Delhi Police to get body cameras to record criminal activity. 16 August 2017. 1 December 2021. India Today.
  19. News: Indian women's commissioner on hunger strike over rape laws. CNN. Manveena Suri. 18 April 2018. 14 October 2018.
  20. News: DCW chief Swati Maliwal ends hunger strike after 10 days. The Indian Express. 21 April 2018. 15 October 2018.
  21. News: Swati Maliwal: Call to speed up child rape executions in India. BBC News. 16 December 2017. 14 October 2018.
  22. News: Hyderabad rape-murder: Main accused dodged officials hours before crime. The Times of India. 2 December 2019. 1 December 2023.
  23. News: DCW chief Swati Maliwal sits on hunger strike; demands capital punishment for rapists. The Hindu. 3 December 2019. 1 December 2023.
  24. News: Centre goes through AP Disha Bill to ensure conformity with law. The Economic Times. 24 February 2020. Tripathi. Rahul. 1 December 2023.
  25. News: Delhi Commission For Women Alleges Its Chief Manhandled By Police. NDTV. 1 December 2023.
  26. News: Satyagraha over death penalty for child rapists. Business Standard. 1 December 2023.
  27. News: Swati Maliwal Launches 13-Day "Padyatra" For Women Safety In Delhi. NDTV. 25 February 2019. 1 December 2023.
  28. News: 13-day march to cover Delhi for women's safety. The Times of India. 25 February 2019. 1 December 2023.
  29. News: Jharkhand: Girls rescued by DCW and other agencies sent back with help of CM Hemant Soren. 8 November 2020. Times Now. 1 December 2023.
  30. News: DCW chief Maliwal meets families of women stripped, paraded in Manipur. Business Standard. 1 December 2023.
  31. News: Sack Biren Singh: Delhi women's body chief sends President Murmu Manipur report. 1 August 2023. India Today. 1 December 2023.
  32. News: Delhi Commission for Women dealt with over 1.7 lakh cases under Swati Maliwal, says report. The Indian Express. 6 January 2024. 1 December 2023.
  33. News: Delhi Commission for Women highlights transformative efforts under leadership of chairperson Swati Maliwal. Millennium Post. 6 January 2024. 1 March 2024.
  34. News: Delhi govt approves Victim Compensation Scheme. 15 September 2015. India Today. 1 December 2023.
  35. News: Crackdown on illegal sale of acid in Delhi, over 100 raids conducted in past 10 days. Business Standard. 1 December 2023.
  36. News: Delhi civic body bans acid for toilet cleaning after women's panel's notice. The Hindustan Times. 1 December 2023.
  37. News: Free treatment for acid attack victims in private hospitals, announces Delhi govt. 7 August 2015. The Hindustan Times. 1 December 2023.
  38. News: Government issues strict SOPs for massage centres and spas in Delhi. 3 August 2021. The Indian Express. 1 December 2023.
  39. News: 1 February 2024. AAP Leader Swati Maliwal Takes Oath As Rajya Sabha MP From Delhi. The Quint. 3 March 2024.
  40. News: 12 January 2024. AAP members Sanjay Singh, Swati Maliwal and ND Gupta elected to Rajya Sabha. Hindustan Times. 16 January 2024.
  41. News: 16 May 2024. Arvind Kejriwal aide booked for assault after Swati Maliwal files police complaint. 17 May 2024. The Indian Express.
  42. News: 13 May 2024. Swati Maliwal Alleges Assault At Delhi CM Kajriwal's Residence, BJP Criticizes Party's Handling. 17 May 2024. The Indian Express.
  43. News: 17 May 2024. Swati Maliwal files police complaint, says Bibhav Kumar attacked me with full force again and again. 17 May 2024. The Hindu. 0971-751X.
  44. News: Dutta. Alisha. 16 May 2024. AAP MP Swati Maliwal 'assault' case: Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar booked. 17 May 2024. The Hindu. en-IN. 0971-751X.
  45. News: 17 May 2024. Swati Maliwal assault case: Maliwal goes to Tiz Hazari court to record statement before magistrate in assault case. 17 May 2024. The Hindu. 0971-751X.
  46. News: Arvind Kejriwal Aide, Accused Of Assaulting Swati Maliwal, Arrested. 18 May 2024. 18 May 2024. NDTV.

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