Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge were also in the selection committee of NHRC.
President Draupadi Murmu on Monday appointed former Supreme Court CJI V Ramasubramanian as the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission. Now Congress has raised questions on his appointment.
In the note issued by the Congress, it has been said that Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge were also in the selection committee of NHRC Chairperson, but their opinion was not taken seriously.
Congress said that the selection committee meeting was held on Wednesday, but it was a pre-scheduled exercise. In this the tradition of taking each other’s consent was ignored. This is necessary in such cases.
This undermines the principle of impartiality, which is vital to the credibility of the selection committee. Instead of encouraging consideration of everyone’s opinion, the committee relied on the majority. Many legitimate concerns were raised in this meeting, but they were sidelined.
Actually, V Ramasubramanian was appointed Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission on Monday. Before him, former Supreme Court judge Justice Arun Kumar Mishra was the chairman of the commission. He retired from this post on June 1 this year. Since then, Commission member Vijaya Bharati Syani was performing the responsibility of acting chairperson.
Congress’s note…in 3 points
- Rahul and Kharge had agreed on the names of former Supreme Court Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman and Justice KM Joseph. Rahul Gandhi and Kharge had suggested these names keeping in mind merit and inclusivity.
- Rahul and Kharge had said that NHRC is an important institution. Its function is to protect the fundamental human rights of people belonging to marginalized sections of the society. It is important that NHRC pays attention to the concerns of different communities. They remained sensitive to human rights violations.
- Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman comes from the minority Parsi community. He is known for his commitment towards the Constitution. If he had been made the chairman, a strong message of NHRC’s dedication to the country would have been sent.
- Similarly, Justice Kuttiyil Mathew Joseph, who hails from another minority Christian community, also delivers several judgments that emphasize individual liberty and protection of marginalized sections.
6 members in selection panel, PM chairman
The Chairman and members of the Commission are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a 6-member committee constituted under the leadership of the Prime Minister. The committee consists of the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the leaders of the main opposition parties of both the Houses of Parliament and the Union Home Minister.
The tenure of NHRC Chairman is 5 years.
- The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is a central human rights body in India. It consists of a Chairman and five members. The Chairman of the Commission is a retired Chief Justice of India. The tenure of the Chairman and members of the Commission is five years or till the age of 70 years (whichever is earlier).
- One member is a serving or retired Justice of the Supreme Court and one member is a serving or retired Chief Justice of the High Court. Two other members should have knowledge or experience of work related to human rights.
- There should also be a woman member in the commission. Apart from these members, there are four other ex-officio members in the Commission. These are the chairpersons of the National Minorities Commission, National Scheduled Castes Commission, National Scheduled Tribes Commission and National Commission for Women.
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