SC refuses to entertain plea to fill vacant posts in SHRC

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a petition seeking a direction for expeditious filling up of vacant posts of chairperson and members of some State Human Rights Commissions (SHRC).

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and V Mohana asked the petitioner as to why he has not approached the high court concerned.

After the bench showed its disinclination in entertaining the plea, the counsel appearing for the petitioner urged that he be allowed to withdraw the petition.

The bench permitted him to withdraw the plea with a liberty to avail remedy as available in law.

During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel referred to the vacancies in the state human rights commissions and said that Uttar Pradesh Human Rights Commission does not have a chairperson for the last two years.

He said notice was earlier issued by the top court in a similar matter. The bench asked why the petitioner has filed a separate petition.

The counsel said the earlier petition was regarding filling up of vacancies in the National Human Rights Commission, while the petition filed now relates to vacancies in the state human rights commissions. “Why have you not gone to the high court? The high courts have been monitoring all this,” the bench said.

The petitioner’s counsel said the plea relates to multiple States and the Uttar Pradesh Human Rights Commission will become defunct. The plea sought direction to authorities concerned for expeditious filling up of vacant posts of chairperson and members of the state human rights commission so as to ensure effective enforcement of human rights under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.

Besides other directives, it also sought a direction to the authorities to place on record the present vacancy position in the state human rights commission, including the dates from which the posts of chairperson and member have remained vacant, together with the status of the recommendation or selection process.