Former Supreme Court judge V Ramasubramanian has been appointed as the 9th Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for a tenure of three years until December 2027.
The post of NHRC chairperson had been lying vacant since Justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra completed his tenure on June 1.
Justice Ramasubramanian was informed about the appointment through a letter signed by Ministry of Home Affairs Joint Secretary Niraj Kumar Bansod. “Respected sir, I enclose herewith the warrant signed by the Hon’ble President of India for the appointment as Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission in terms of Section 3(2)(a) of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. You are requested to kindly join the Commission at the earliest,” the letter states.
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A high-powered committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met on December 18 to select the next chairperson of the NHRC. Both Leaders of Opposition (LoPs) Mallikarjun Kharge in the Rajya Sabha and Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha also attended the meeting.
‘Fundamentally flawed’
Both Kharge and Rahul had recorded their dissent over the selection of the chairperson and members of the National Human Rights Commission on the grounds that the process adopted was “fundamentally flawed” and a “pre-determined” exercise that ignored mutual consultation and consensus.
They had proposed the names of Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman and Justice Kuttiyil Mathew Joseph for the position of chairperson. However, former Supreme Court judge V Ramasubramanian has been appointed as the new chairperson of the NHRC.
In their dissent note, Kharge and Rahul recorded their disagreement on the grounds that the selection process adopted by the committee was fundamentally flawed.
“It was a pre-determined exercise that ignored the established tradition of mutual consultation and consensus, which is essential in such matters. This departure undermines the principles of fairness and impartiality, which are critical to the credibility of the Selection Committee,” their dissent note said.
‘Relied on numerical majority’
Instead of fostering deliberation and ensuring a collective decision, the committee relied on its numerical majority to finalise the names, disregarding the legitimate concerns and perspectives raised during the meeting, they said.
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“We proposed the names of Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman and Justice Kuttiyil Mathew Joseph for the position of Chairperson, keeping in mind both merit and the need for inclusivity.”
“Furthermore, for the position of Members, we recommended the names of Justice S. Muralidhar and Justice Akil Abdulhamid Qureshi, both of whom have exemplary track records in upholding human rights,” they said.
“The names we proposed reflect this spirit and align with the foundational principles of the commission. Their exclusion raises significant concerns about the impartiality and fairness of the selection process,” Kharge and Rahul said.
(With agency inputs)
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