- In a 26-page judgment, the Supreme Court throws points out that human rights and the National Human Rights Commission have suffered a slow death at the hands of the government and the State authorities.
- Neglect and stagnation suffered by the NHRC has imperilled human rights in the nation like in fake encounter’ killings of Manipur
Problems faced by NHRC
- The NHRC, which had investigated 20 of these deaths, was stonewalled for years by the authorities.
- It is actually headed by a former Chief Justice of India or judges of the Supreme Court, had declared its own failure and termed itself a “toothless tiger”.
- The intention of the NHRC is to more effectively assist the criminal justice delivery system and avoid any factual controversies while respecting human rights.
- It is not as if the dignity of only living persons needs to be respected. Even the dignity of the dead must be given due respect.
NHRC’s revised guidelines of 2010
- It makes magisterial inquiry into every police encounter death
- The NHRC has to be informed of every encounter death.
- However, these guidelines are given scant respect by the States.
- In many States, human rights commissions are obvious in their absence for years.
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