The National Human Rights Commission or NHRC is a standalone entity of the Government of India with the mission of promoting and protecting human rights. It is a statutory body mentioned in the Constitution of India that was established in 1993 under the ‘Protection of Human Rights Act.’ This act was further amended in 2006.
National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
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This article talks about an important non-constitutional body, the National Human Rights Commission, in the context of the IAS Exam .
The topic, ‘NHRC’ is important for the Indian Polity subject (Mains GS-II) of the UPSC Syllabus.
The candidates can read more about other similar bodies from the links below:
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) established in 1993, is an independent statutory body as per the provisions of the Protection of Human Rights Act of 1993 which was amended in 2006.
Composition of NHRC
To read about the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), check the linked article.
Aspirants can check the official website of the National Human Rights Commission (https://nhrc.nic.in/) for more details.
Refer to the following links below to strengthen your UPSC Exam preparation:
The functions of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) as stated in Section 12 of the Protection of Human Rights Act,1993 includes enquiry into complaints of violation of human rights or negligence in the prevention of such violation by a public servant. The Commission also studies treaties and international instruments on human rights and makes recommendations for their effective implementation to the Government.
It is important to know the limitations of NHRC for the UPSC exam. They are mentioned below:
India faces Human Rights violations on a large scale due to various reasons. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) takes up most of the issues around the country. Some of them are mentioned below:
The Chairperson or the Members of the National Human Rights Commission holds office for a term of three years or until they attain the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier.
Earlier the tenure of office was 5 years or 70 years whichever is earlier but the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill 2019 brought in certain changes.
The differences between the Protection of Human Rights Act 1993 and the Protection of Human Rights Amendment Bill 2019 with respect to NHRC is given below-
National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) – Key Differences | ||
Protection of Human Rights Act 1993 | Protection of Human Rights Amendment Bill 2019 | |
Chairperson | The commission shall consist of a chairperson who has been a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court | Chief justice of the Supreme court or the Judge of the Supreme Court shall be the chairperson of NHRC |
Other Members | NHRC must consist of two members to be appointed from among the persons having knowledge of, or practical experience in the matters relating to Human Rights | The bill amends this to allow three members to be appointed of which at least one will be a Woman |
Ex-Officio Members | The Chairpersons for National Commission for Minorities, National Commission for Scheduled Castes and scheduled Tribes and National Commission for Women shall deemed to be Member of the Commission | The Bill provides for including the chairpersons of the National Commission for Backward Classes, National Commission for the protection of Child Rights and the Chief Commissioners for Persons with Disabilities as the members of NHRC |
Term | The Act states that the Chairperson and Member of NHRC will hold office for 5 years or till the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier | The bill reduces the term of Office to 3 years or till the age of 70 years whichever is earlier. |
Reappointment | The act allows for the reappointment of the member of NHRC for the term of five years | The bill removes the five year limit of reappointment |
Powers of Secretary-General | The act provides for a Secretary-General who shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Commission and shall exercise powers as may be delegated to them | The Bill amend this and allowed the Secretary-General to exercise all the administrative and Financial powers (except Judicial functions) subject to Chairperson’s control |
The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019 has been passed in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in 2019.
‘Human Rights’ is an important global issue and questions related to these can be asked in UPSC Prelims or Mains. The question mentioned below have been asked in the UPSC exams:
Similarly, in the years 2014 and 2015, UPSC Mains (GS II) questions were based on the National Human Rights Commission topic. Therefore, it holds high relevance and importance in the point of UPSC Mains Examination. To know more about the previous year’s questions , check the linked article.
Shri Justice Arun Kumar Mishra is the current chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, and he assumed on June 2, 2021.