AAP govt removes Punjab Women Commission chief Manisha Gulati yet again

Manisha Gulati earlier got relief from the Punjab High Court when the AAP Government removed her from the post of Chairperson of the State Commission for Women in February. Now, the State Government maintained that the extension of Manisha's term is not permissible as per the Punjab State Commission for Women Act, 2001.

Chandigarh (Punjab) : Manisha Gulati has been removed as the Chairperson of the Punjab State Commission for Women by the State government with immediate effect. The extension given to Gulati has been terminated by Punjab's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, as per sources. When she was removed from the post earlier in February, Manisha Gulati approached the High Court and got relief.

Following the then HC relief, the State government had withdrawn its decision at that time. On February 15, Manisha Gulati again assumed her post which she first assumed in March 2018 when the Congress was in government. In the year 2020, the AAP government initially gave her an extension but later revoked its own order saying it was a mistake.

In February 2023, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government removed Manisha Gulati from the post, which she challenged in the High Court. Gulati had cited in the High Court that her extension was rejected by the government 6 months ago. After this, the High Court gave relief to Manisha Gulati and the government had to take a U-turn on its decision.

The latest order to remove Manisha Gulati was issued by the Department of Women and Child Development. In this notice, it was stated that there is no provision for an increase in the service of the Chairperson or members of the Punjab State Commission for Women as per the Punjab State Commission for Women Act, 2001.

The tenure of the Punjab State Women Commission Chairperson is only 3 years. As per the rules, the vacancies have to be filled before the expiry of the tenure as there is no provision for an extension of tenure. Manisha Gulati's tenure as the chairperson of the Women's Commission was bogged down in a political controversy since the beginning.

Her continuation showed her political influence. Earlier, she worked under the leadership of Captain Amarinder Singh and the Congress party had a good influence on her. Later in the year 2022, she joined BJP and also made many comments on Congress. She is quite active on social media. Manisha Gulati grabbed headlines after her involvement in the family dispute of Punjabi singer Lahimbar Hussainpuri.