Stirring entire Human Rights mechanism, Protection of Human Rights Bill 2019 passed by Lok Sabha
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New Delhi, Jul. 19: Human Rights is a life-time quest in front of Humankind. In India, Human Rights are reflected in Indian culture. Now, reframing the existing Human Rights machinery, Lok Sabha passed ‘The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill 2019’ today.
The Bill was presented by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai assuring that the National Human Rights Commission and state human rights commission will be made more representative and powerful.
The amendment reduces the tenure of chairpersons of national and state human rights bodies to three years from five years, it also stipulates that besides a former chief justice of India, as is the current requirement, a former Supreme Court judge can also become NHRC chairperson.
The Act provides for two persons having knowledge of human rights to be appointed as members of the NHRC. The Bill amends this to allow three members to be appointed, of which at least one will be a woman.
Under the Act, chairpersons of various commissions such as the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, and National Commission for Women are members of the NHRC.
The Bill provides for including the chairpersons of the National Commission for Backward Classes, the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights, and the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities as members of the NHRC.
Under the Act, the chairperson of an SHRC is a person who has been a Chief Justice of the High Court. The Bill amends this to provide that a person who has been Chief Justice or Judge of the High Court will be the chairperson of an SHRC.
The Act states that the chairperson and members of the NHRC and SHRC will hold office for five years or till the age of seventy years, whichever is earlier. The Bill reduces the term of office to three years or till the age of seventy years, whichever is earlier. Further, the Act allows for the reappointment of members of the NHRC and SHRCs for a period of five years. The Bill removes the five-year limit for reappointment.
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