{"id":132310,"date":"2024-09-14T19:44:07","date_gmt":"2024-09-14T14:14:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&#038;p=132310"},"modified":"2024-09-17T12:47:22","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T07:17:22","slug":"delay-in-filling-nhrc-posts","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/delay-in-filling-nhrc-posts","title":{"rendered":"Delay in Filling National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Posts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The National Human Rights Commission has been functioning <\/span><b>without a full-time chairperson<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> since June and<\/span><b> currently has only one member for five positions.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Background<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Chairperson Vacancy:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The NHRC chairperson\u2019s position has been <\/span><b>vacant for three-and-a-half months<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Current Staffing: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The NHRC should have a <\/span><b>chairperson and five full-time members.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, Vijayabharathi Sayani, the <\/span><b>sole full-time member, has been fulfilling both her role and acting chairperson duties.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She also meets the gender requirement for the panel.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Course<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Implications of Vacancies in NHRC<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Delayed Investigations: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With fewer members, the NHRC may struggle to handle the volume of complaints, <\/span><b>leading to delays in investigating human rights violations.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Reduced Oversight and Limited Overreach: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vacancies can <\/span><b>limit the Commission\u2019s ability to monitor and oversee <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">human rights conditions effectively.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Quality of Investigations: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With fewer resources, the quality of investigations might suffer, potentially leading to less thorough and effective outcomes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Violation of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Keeping the <\/span><b>posts vacant<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> despite availability of eligible candidates is a<\/span><b>rbitrary, unreasonable and in violation of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>International Concerns<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>GANHRI Accreditation Deferral:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The <\/span><b>Geneva-based Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has<\/span><b> deferred NHRC\u2019s accreditation for the second consecutive year<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> due to concerns about <\/span><b>transparency <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><b>inadequate gender and minority representation.<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Without the accreditation, NHRC will be unable to represent India at the UN Human Rights Council<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GANHRI is a <\/span><b>global network of 114 NHRCs <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which coordinates the relationship between<\/span><b> NHRCs and the United Nations.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Pending Accreditation: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a <\/span><b>Paris Principles-compliant institution,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the NHRC must have the <\/span><b>necessary functionaries and infrastructure<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to operate effectively. Currently, these essential components are lacking, a<\/span><b>ffecting its smooth functioning as well as its \u2018A\u2019 status accreditation.<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Paris Principles,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which were <\/span><b>adopted by the UN<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 1992 and 1993, outlines six key criteria for National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs): mandate and competence, autonomy from government, independence guaranteed by law, pluralism, <\/span><b>adequate resources<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and sufficient powers of investigation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Ministry of Home Affairs\u2019 Delays:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Amnesty International highlights that, nearly five months after <\/span><b>deferred NHRC\u2019s \u2018A\u2019 status<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the Ministry of Home Affairs has still not completed the recruitment of NHRC members and has now also delayed appointing a new chairperson.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Concerns of Lack of Will: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amnesty International India criticises the delay in recruitment as indicative of the NHRC\u2019s and Indian government\u2019s <\/span><b>lack of political will<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to address human rights violations and uphold transparency and accountability.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Government Actions for filling up the NHRC Vacancies<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Parliament amended the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 and revised this eligibility criteria:\u00a0 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Until 2019, the NHRC chairperson\u2019s role was <\/span><b>exclusively for retired Chief Justices of India (CJIs).\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, a <\/span><b>2019 amendment to the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, expanded eligibility to include any Supreme Court judge.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to a senior Commission official, the <\/span><b>amendment aimed to address the government\u2019s concern that CJIs were reluctant to join the NHRC post-retirement.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+CSE+Books\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC CSE Books From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Possible Call of Action\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Expedited Recruitment Process: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implement a <\/span><b>streamlined and transparent process to quickly fill vacant NHRC posts.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Strengthen Infrastructure: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensure that the NHRC has the necessary resources and infrastructure to function effectively in<\/span><b> consonance with the Paris Principles.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Address International Concerns: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>U.S. State Department\u2019s 2023 report<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> highlights <\/span><b>numerous human rights abuses in India<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detentions, internet shutdowns, and violence against ethnic and caste minorities.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><b>There is a need to act on feedback from international bodies to restore credibility\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Call for Independence and Resources:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> There is a<\/span><b> need for India to not only appoint a new NHRC chief <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">but also to ensure the <\/span><b>Commission&#8217;s independence and proper funding.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table style=\"width: 99.9975%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;\">\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt; color: #000000;\"><b>National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Set up: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) came into existence after India enacted the <\/span><b>Protection of Human Rights Act in 1993.<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Selection Committee:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The <\/span><b>President of India appoints<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> members of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)<\/span><b> based on a recommendation of the selection committee, which includes:<\/b><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Prime Minister (Chairman)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Speaker of Lok Sabha<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Union Home Minister<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Leaders of the Opposition in both Houses of the Parliament<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Membership:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It consists of a <\/span><b>chairperson, five full-time Members, and seven deemed Members.<\/b><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A person who has been the <\/span><b>Chief Justice of India or a judge of the Supreme Court will be a chairman.<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Two Members: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One who is, or has been, a Judge of the Supreme Court of India and one member who is, or has been, the Chief Justice of a High Court.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Three Members:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> One shall be a woman from amongst persons having knowledge of, or practical experience in, matters relating to human rights.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Seven Deemed Members: Chairpersons of the National Commission for SC\/ST\/Minorities\/Backward Classes\/Women\/Protection of Child Rights and the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities serve as ex officio members.<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Tenure:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> They serve for a term of <\/span><b>three years or until they attain the age of 70 years, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">whichever is<\/span><b> earlier.<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Removal:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The members can be<\/span><b> removed by the President<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> under specific circumstances:<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If he\/she is an <\/span><b>insolvent;<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If he\/she engages in<\/span><b> paid employment outside the duties of his office;<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If he\/she is <\/span><b>unfit to continue in office by reason of infirmity of mind;<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If he\/she is <\/span><b>convicted and sentenced to imprisonment.<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.9272%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 137.814%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Must Read<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Daily Editorials<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.2782%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/daily-current-affairs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Daily Current Affairs<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-textbooks?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Textbooks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC NCERT Textbooks From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.2782%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-modules?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Modules\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC Modules From PW Store<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-previous-year-papers?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Previous+Year+Papers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out Previous Years Papers From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.2782%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-test-series-courses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Test Series 2024<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/quiz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daily Current Affairs Quiz<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.2782%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/mains-answer-writing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daily Main Answer Writing<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 137.814%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\" colspan=\"2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+CSE+Books\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC CSE Books From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The National Human Rights Commission has been functioning without a full-time chairperson since June and currently has only one member for five positions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"paper-wise":[2084],"subject":[2124],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/132310"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/current-affairs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132310"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/132310\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":132319,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/132310\/revisions\/132319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132310"},{"taxonomy":"paper-wise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper-wise?post=132310"},{"taxonomy":"subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subject?post=132310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}