Appointment norms for NHRC head should be changed

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SUBHASH CHANDRA AGRAWAL

04 June, 2010

Only a retired Chief Justice of India is eligible for the post, this being the reason for important post being lying vacant for more than six months.

AFTER RC LAHOTI having declined to accept and YK Sabharwal not considered fit for post of Chief of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the appointing committee had no option left other than to appoint the only available retired Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan as NHRC Chairperson. Only a retired Chief Justice of India is eligible for the post, this being the reason for important post being lying vacant for more than six months.

For wider range of choice available before the appointing-committee and to avoid such vacuum on the post in future, NHRC Act should be amended to widen scope of choice for post of NHRC Chief by making all retired Supreme Court judges and retired Chief Justice of states eligible for the post. Already there is a fine mechanism to check favoritism in such appointment, because the post can only be filled by consensus amongst Prime Minister and Opposition Leader.