Swati Maliwal

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. She told later that she faced domestic abuse at the hands of her father, leading to a troubled childhood. She went to Amity International School and received a bachelor's degree in Information Technology from the JSS Academy of Technical Education.

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. Later, Naveen became a politician, representing the Aam Aadmi Party. The couple divorced in February 2020.

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. She worked in grass-roots campaigns across India, as a part of the organization. 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.



She was appointed as the chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) in July 2015. She was one of the youngest to lead the women's commission. 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. 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.



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. 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. 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.

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. 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. She organized multiple campaigns and protests, advocating for time-bound stringent punishment for rapists and women safety.

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. In November 2020, the DCW under Malliwal was involved in rescuing girls from child traffickers in Jharkhand. 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.

During her tenure, the commission handled more than 1.7 lakh cases of domestic violence, rape and other crimes against women. 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. 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.

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

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. 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. Her statement was recorded on the matter with subsequent investigation undertaken by the Delhi police. On 18 May 2024, Bibhav Kumar was arrested by Delhi police.