NHRC should roar like a tiger: Panel chief

National Human Rights Commission Chairperson Justice H L Dattu today pitched for vesting NHRC with "more power", saying the rights watchdog should "roar like a tiger".
"Everyone wants to have more power. We (NHRC) also want to have more power," he told reporters.
The former Chief Justice of India was addressing a press conference here to mark the Foundation Day of the NHRC.
According to a recent media report, Dattu had termed NHRC a "toothless tiger" that needed some teeth to enforce its orders on remedial measures in cases relating to any violations.
"In many cases, due to our active intervention, we have addressed human rights issues. We are celebrating our foundation day today... And, with more power, it (NHRC) should roar like a tiger," he told PTI on the sidelines of the press conference.

Since its inception in 1993, the NHRC has come a long way by addressing several issues of human rights violations as well as giving inputs on key legislations impacting human rights, he said.

"Whenever an issue of human rights violation comes to the notice of the NHRC, it has to take cognisance without bothering for the permutations and combinations of electoral politics or caste and creed equations," Dattu said.
When asked what action the NHRC takes in case a party to which a notice has been served by it does not respond within the stipulated time, he said, "In case they don't, we give them one more opportunity, and even then if they don't respond, then we issue them a conditional summon to appear before us and submit the report."

"In 95-96 per cent cases the state government or authorities do respond. But, there have been instances, where despite repeated reminders they don't respond and in those cases, we presume they have nothing to say in the matter. And, so based on the given material, we take a decision, and if we don't find merit in the case, we dismiss it," he said.
The rights panel chief also enumerated cases where the Supreme Court had accepted its recommendations, like in the encounter cases of Manipur and the incident of silicosis in a state.
"Since October, 2015 to September, 2016, the NHRC has registered 1,05,664 cases on the basis of complaints, intimation from police and prison authorities, etc, and on suo motu basis," the NHRC said.

During the period, maximum 32,498 complaints were registered against police, out of which 206 cases were of encounter.