RS passes Human Rights Amendent Bill

New Delhi, Aug 3: The Rajya Sabha today passed the Protection of Human Rights(Amendment) Bill with Home Minister Shivraj Patil accepting a suggestion from the BJP and CPI-M that a retired Chief Justice of the Supreme Court would be appointed as Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission.

In his reply to the debate on the bill, the Home Minister, however, rejected a strong appeal by women members of the house, including CPI-M member Brinda Karat that at least one of the members of the NHRC should be a woman.

He said there cannot be a reservation for women. On the other hand, the government would encourage women occupying the prestigious posts on their own merit.

The suggestion to have a provision in the law that the Chairman of the NHRC would be a retired Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was moved by senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley and Ms Karat.

The Home Minister said the move to amend the National Human Rights Act of 1993 was made in 1998 and an expert Committee headed by Justice Ahmadi was appointed. The report of the Committee was examined by an inter-ministerial committee. Later, the Standing Committee of Parliament accepted the recommendations of the Ahmadi Commitee which have now been carried out in the bill.

As for the suggestion to give a direct power to the NHRC, the Home Minister said the mandate and scope of the commission was much wider than a penal body.

He allayed fears that a magisterial reference to the NHRC would mean any direction to the commission to conduct an inquiry in a particular manner.

UNI