Powers of the Commission

1. The Commission shall, for the purpose of any inquiry under this Act, have the same powers as are vested in a Civil Court while trying a suit under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (Central Act 5 of 1908), in respect of the following matters, namely:
   1. Summoning and enforcing the attendance of any witness and examining him or her;
   2. Requiring the discovery and production of any document;
   3. Receiving evidence on affidavit;
   4. Requisitioning any public record or a copy thereof from any public office;
   5. Issuing commissions for the examination of witnesses.
2. Any proceeding before the Commission shall be deemed to be a judicial proceedings within the meaning of Sections 193 and 228 of the Indian Penal Code(Central Act 45 of 1860), and the Commission shall be deemed to be a court for the purposes of Section 195 of the 'Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Central Act 2 of 1974)'.

Functions of the Commission

1. Subject to the provision of the Meghalaya State Commission for Women Act 2005, the Commission shall perform all or any of the following functions, namely;
   1. Inquire into unfair practices, take decisions thereon, and to recommend to the Government the action to be taken in that matter.
   2. Investigate and examine all matters relating to the safeguards provided for women under the Constitution of India (herein after referred to as the Constitution) and other laws, and recommend steps to be taken by the State Government for effective implementation of such safeguards for improving the conditions of women in the State.
   3. Present to the State Government, annually and at such other times as the Commission may deem fit, reports upon the working of these safeguards.
   4. Review, from time to time, the existing provisions of the Constitution and other laws affecting women, and recommend amendments thereto so as to suggest remedial legislative measures to meet any lacunae, inadequacies, or shortcomings in such legislations.
   5. Take up cases of violation of the provisions of the Constitution and of other laws relating to women in the State with the appropriate authorities.
   6. Look into complaints and take suo motu notice of matters relating to:
      1. Deprivation of women’s rights;
      2. Non-implementation of laws enacted to provide protection to women and to achieve the objectives of equality and development;
      3. Non-compliance with policy decisions, guidelines, or instructions aimed at mitigating hardships, ensuring welfare, and providing relief to women,and take up the issues arising out of such matters with appropriate authorities.
   7. Call for special studies or investigations into problems or situations arising out of discrimination and atrocities against women, and identify constraints so as to recommend strategies for their removal.
   8. Evaluate the progress of advancement of women in the State.
   9. Inspect or cause to be inspected a jail, police station, lock up, observation home, children’s home, rescue home, shelter home, or other place of custody where women are kept as prisoners otherwise and take up with the authorities concerned such matters for remedial action as may be necessary.
2. The State Government may consult the Commission on all policy matters affecting women.
3. The Commission shall present to the State Government every six months and at such other times as the Commission may deem fit reports of its activities together with its recommendation and the State Government shall cause them to be laid before the State Legislature as soon as possible along with a memorandum explaining the action taken or proposed to be taken on the recommendations and the reasons for non-acceptance, if any, of such recommendations.
4. 4) It shall be the duty of the commission to furnish comments and recommendations on any report of the National Commission for women on any matter with which the Government is concerned as the State Government may call for.