Already considered to be a ‘toothless tiger’, Punjab Human Rights Commission (PHRC) has been rendered inefficacious without Chairman and members to hear the grievances of the public. The term of chairman Justice Jagdish Bhalla ended on March 22.
The commission, that earlier had five members, had been working with only three for the last three years, after terms of Justice Baldev Singh and l R Roozam came to an end in 2013.
In the month of March 2016, the chairman Justice Jagdish Bhalla and one member Baljinder Singh also completed their term of five years.
Due to non-availability of the Coram, the hearings of the complaints filed with the commission have come to a standstill.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Punjab Human Rights Commission had came into being in 1997 and more than 2 lakh 40 thousand complaints have been filed with the commission till date. The non-appointment of chairman and members in the commission has started a political debate in the state with the leader of opposition Charanjit Singh Channi accusing the ruling alliance that the government had been completely overlooking the interest of the people in the State.
The law and order situation in the state was in a mess in the state and that is why the Government did not want Human Rights Commission to work, as it may point fingers at the wrongdoings of the government, Channi said.
Slamming the SAD-BJP Government, AAP leader Harjeet Singh Kingra said that the Government had failed on every account and now it does not want people to raise their voice against the government.
Denying the allegations of the opposition, Charanjit Singh Brar, OSD to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has said that the appointments in the commission is an administrative matter and the political leadership of the state has nothing to do with it. He added that the appointments would be made soon.