Kejriwal announces setting up of Delhi human rights panel

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced that the state government had initiated the process to set up the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC).

"The home department has initiated the proposal to set up the SHRC and forwarded it to the Chief Minister's Office," Kejriwal informed the assembly.

Replying to a discussion in the house on women safety in the national capital, the chief minister told the members that the Supreme Court last month expressed concern over the fact that there was no SHRC in Delhi for the last 22 years.

"In view of the Supreme Court directions and also the fact that Delhi has the second highest number of human rights violations in the country, the state government has initiated the process for the SHRC, he said.

According to a statement of the Delhi government, the Supreme Court on July 24 had observed that successive governments simply did not bother to set up the SHRC even 22 years after parliament enacted the Protection of Human Rights Act in 1993.

"[The] NHRC curtain raiser published on its 20th foundation day shows that of the total 94,985 fresh cases registered in the NHRC, the largest number of cases (46,187) came from Uttar Pradesh, followed by Delhi, which reported 7,988 cases, and Haryana that reported 6,921 cases," the Supreme Court noted on July 24.