Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge have expressed their disagreement regarding the appointment of the chairperson and members of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), arguing that the process used was “defective” and a “pre-arranged” activity that disregarded mutual consultation and agreement.
Gandhi, the Lok Sabha Opposition Leader, and Kharge, the Rajya Sabha Opposition Leader, suggested the names of Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman and Justice Kuttiyil Mathew Joseph for the role of NHRC chairperson. Nonetheless, ex-Supreme Court judge V Ramasubramanian was designated as the head of the human rights committee.
In a dissent note, the Congress leaders mentioned that the equilibrium of region, religion, and caste was disregarded during the appointment of the NHRC chairperson. They claimed that this selection process reflected the “dismissive attitude of the government”.
Gandhi and Kharge proposed Justice S Muralidhar and Justice Akil Abdulhamid Qureshi as candidates for NHRC membership, stating that both had “outstanding records in protecting human rights.”
“Their participation would enhance the NHRC’s efficacy and dedication to diversity,” stated the dissent note.
Prior to the appointment of Justice (retd) Ramasubramanian, the position of NHRC chairperson had remained unfilled since Justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra ended his term on June 1.
Following Mishra’s retirement, Vijaya Bharathi Sayani took on the role of acting chairperson of the human rights panel.
On December 18, a powerful committee chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened to choose the next NHRC chairperson. Gandhi and Kharge were present at the meeting.
As per the legislation regulating the NHRC, the committee responsible for appointing the NHRC chief is chaired by the prime minister and includes the Lok Sabha Speaker, home minister, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and the deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha as members.
The president appoints a former Chief Justice of India or a retired Supreme Court judge as the chairperson of NHRC based on the selection committee’s recommendation.
The NHRC tweeted on Monday, “The President of India appoints Justice V Ramasubramanian (retd) as the chairperson, and Priyank Kanoongo and Dr Justice Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi (retd.) as the members of the NHRC, India.”
