The Lok Sabha on Friday passed the Bill to amend the Human Rights Commission Act enabling widening of qualifications of Chairman and Members. In the current Act, only retired Chief Justice of India and Chief Justices of High Court and above can become the Chairman of national and state commissions respectively. This has led to a big problem in getting the persons for these posts. As per the new bill, any retired Supreme Court Judge or High Court Judge can be appointed as Chairman of National and State Human Rights Commissions.
Piloting the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019 Minister of State (Home Affairs) Nityanand Rai, said changes in the legislation will help in protecting human rights effectively. The amendment provides for reduction in the tenure of chairpersons of national and state human rights bodies to three years from the current five years. Rai said the bill also gives more administrative and financial powers to these bodies.
Under the existing Act, chairpersons of commissions such as the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes and National Commission for Women are members of the NHRC. The new bill provides for including the chairpersons of the National Commission for Backward Classes, the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights and the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities as members of the NHRC. The participation of civil society representatives will provide more strength to protect the human rights, the minister said.