THE All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), in a statement issued on  February 19, has welcomed the judgment of the Supreme Court that all women officers in short service commission are eligible for permanent commission and command posts in all branches of the army irrespective of the number of years of service. Women in the army have been fighting for this for the last ten years when the Delhi High Court granted them permanent commission in the army. However, the government had refused to act on the Delhi High Court judgment.

The All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), in a statement issued on December 21, has welcomed the sentencing of former BJP MLA Kuldip Singh Sengar to imprisonment for the remainder of his life, in the Unnao rape case by the Delhi CBI Court. It also welcomed the Court’s directives stating that adequate steps should be taken by the CBI to ensure the life and liberty of the survivor and her family is protected by providing a safe house and change of identity if so desired by the family.

WOMEN activists from the Left progressive parties and movements gathered at Essen, Germany last month in the Feminist Futures Festival organised by Rosa Luxemburg Stiflung to share their experiences about their struggles when combating the right-wing forces in their respective countries and discuss strategies and ideas for an international networking to strengthen this movement. The participants included women from the continents of Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America. This event was organised for the first time.

THE All India Democratic Women’s Association, in a statement issued on September 26, has strongly condemned the force arrest and harassment of the victim in the Chinmayanand case and demanded immediate withdrawal of the alleged extortion case lodged against her. It condemns the role played by the SIT and Uttar Pradesh Police under pressure from the Yogi government. The rape case against Chinmayanand was filed on August 27, 2019 but the accused was arrested only after 14 days after a public outcry. The sections under which Chinmayanand has been arrested have also been diluted.

TO prepare for the 12th AIDWA national conference in Mumbai from December 27-30, 2019, AIDWA district conventions were successfully held in 15 districts of Maharashtra in the months of June and July. They had together mobilised over 2000 women. The last district convention of Thane-Palghar was held on August 23, 2019 at the Comrade Godavari Shamrao Parulekar Bhawan at Talasari in Palghar district. Over 3,000 women from eight tehsils attended. The huge hall was completely jam-packed with women.