Retd HC chief justice to head panel

Inching its way towards formation of the Haryana State Human Rights Commission,the government has finally decided that the proposed commission would be headed by a retired chief justice and would have two other members.

Inching its way towards formation of the Haryana State Human Rights Commission,the government has finally decided that the proposed commission would be headed by a retired chief justice and would have two other members. While one member would be from the judiciary (another retired judge),a third member would be chosen from the civil society

A three-member committee headed by Justice (Retd) I P Vashisht,which is assisting Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in laying down the modalities of the formation of the commission,has decided that the commission would be headed not by a retired Supreme Court or high court judge,but a judge who has remained the chief justice of a high Court.

The committee,which has Haryana Chief Secretary Urvashi Gulati and Home Secretary Samir Mathur as members,has also decided that the commission would have two other members other than the chairperson.

The committee is also thinking of suggesting to the chief minister to reserve the seat of the third member for a woman representative from civil society. Since a large number of matters relating to human rights violations relate to women,it would be justified to have a woman as a permanent member of the commission. But this decision is yet to be taken, said a highly placed source.

One of the few states in the country without a state human rights commission,Haryana is,however,taking its own time in constituting one. The Vashisht Committee for instance was formed in January this year and has met only once in six months. The second meeting,say sources,is likely to take place sometimes this month.

The committee is expected to finalise the exact constitution of the commission in its next meeting following which it would be shortlisting some names,which would then be forwarded to the chief minister,who is expected to take another few months before announcing the formation of the commission.

As laid down in the Human Rights Act 1993,the chief minister is the head of the recommending committee that suggests to the governor who is to be appointed as the chairperson and the members of the commission. Other than the chief minister,the speaker of the Vidhan Sabha and the leader of the opposition are members of the recommending committee.

Story continues below this ad

The Vashisht Committee would also draft the working framework of the commission and also suggest the places where the commissions courts would be located. The first preference is obviously Chandigarh,but in case there is no space available at a central place in Chandigarh,we might suggest that the office and courts of the commission be opened in Panchkula, the source said.

Haryana is one of the major violators of human rights in the country.

In 2008,the National Human Rights Commission received almost 3,500 complaints from Haryana alone. The Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) in its Indian Human Rights Report 2009 had stated,Ruled by the Indian National Congress,Haryanas human rights record remained very poor. The state continued to fail to take sufficient action to tackle long standing practices of human rights violations by law enforcement personnel who resorted to extrajudicial killing,arbitrary arrest,illegal detention and torture and violence against women and children in the course of their duties. Following immense pressure from various quarters,Hooda had last year publicly announced that a human rights panel would be set up in the state.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram