Amit Shah to address Human Rights Commission's foundation day event

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address the foundation day event of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) here on Saturday.

The NHRC is celebrating its 26th foundation day with Shah being the Chief Guest on the occasion.

NHRC Chairperson Justice H L Dattu will preside over the function.

The mandate of the NHRC-- set up on October 12, 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights Act passed by parliament-- is to work for the promotion and protection of human rights and take cognizance of such complaints wherein the actions, inaction and omissions of government functionaries, prima facie or allegedly, cause human rights violation.

It is a recommendatory quasi-judicial body, having powers of a civil court to call for any documents and summon any public authority in a case of human rights violation.

In a case of human rights violation, its recommendations are twofold: relief to the victim and punishment to the guilty, the NHRC said in a statement.

Besides taking cognizance of human rights violations and conducting inquiry into them, the NHRC is also mandated to create an enabling atmosphere as a preventive mechanism to check incidents of human rights violations, it said.

The NHRC, India continues to hold 'A' status accreditation with the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI). It is a founder Member of the Asia Pacific Forum, it said.

Recently, the NHRC intervened in the 22nd session of an International conference of NHRIs in Geneva on the rights of the disabled persons.

Justice Dattu was given the responsibility to chair a committee to look into the international laws, treaties and related documents so that the existing domestic laws could be updated as per the international standards in the respective countries of the NHRIs.

This year, the Commission linked its online complaint filing system with over three lakh common service centres spread in various parts of the country, felicitating people in far flung areas.

It has also started video conferencing with the state authorities to expedite disposal of cases.

The commission is proposing to set up a task force to prepare a National Action Plan on Human Rights (NAPHR) comprising the representatives of various ministries, NGOs, civil society and the NHRC among others to help flag the key issues of human rights for the government(s), which would require to be addressed with a targeted approach to improve the human rights situation in the country through a sustained mechanism, according to the statement.

Due to the NHRC, there have been disposal of more than 18 lakh cases, payments of more than Rs 176 crore to the victims of human rights violations, about 800 spot enquiries, 50 open hearings and camp sittings covering the length and breadth of the country, it added.