Justice Mishra was a champion of social justice: APF

23 September, 2012

The Asia Pacific Forum has expressed deepest condolences on the recent passing away of Justice Shri Ranganath Misra, the first Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission.

IN A message, the Forum acting director Pip Dargan said that Justice Misra would be remembered as a man of enormous integrity and intelligence and as a champion for social justice. “As the 21st Chief Justice of India, he was universally respected as an eminent jurist and for the compassion and respect he displayed towards people of all backgrounds,” Dargan said in a press release.

Dargan hailed his leadership, maintaining that it left an indelible mark on the commission in those early years, ensuring the organisation was serious and determined in its work to advocate and uphold fundamental human rights, especially on behalf of the vulnerable and the marginalised. “Of course, his commitment to promoting and protecting universal human rights extended far beyond the shores of India,” he added.

He said that Justice Misra was an instrumental figure in the establishment of the Asia Pacific Forum in 1996, providing both the vision and the practical support necessary to ensure the formation of a network of national human rights institutions that now spans the region. The establishment of the Asia Pacific Forum is due in no small part to his leadership and determination, he added further.