Human rights violations: NHRC "failed" to act independently of Govt of India, shouldn't get UN accreditation

Counterview Desk
India’s civil rights groups are all set to ask the Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) of Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) to defer UN accreditation status to the National Human Rights Commission, which, they say, has failed to comply by UN Human Rights Commission guidelines seeking autonomy to national human rights institutions (NHRIs).
Earlier, a similar report, prepared in 2011, and endorsed by more than 350 individuals and civil rights organizations, had ensured that the NHRC’s accreditation with UN was deferred till November 2017. The new report says that NHRC, over the years, has failed to act “either acted in the capacity of amicus curaie to ensure justice or took up suo motu cognizance and follow the case through.”
GANHRI is supposed to coordinate the relationship between NHRIs and the United Nations human rights system, and is unique as the only non-UN body whose internal accreditation system, based on compliance with a UN Human Rights Commission resolution endorsed in 1993 in Paris, grants access to UN committees.
Prepared for the upcoming accreditation of NHRC in November 2017 by the South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre (SAHRDC), final draft of the report has been sent to all civil society organizations for approval.
Pointing out that NHRC has carried out any “independent investigations or action taken against perpetrators”, nor has it made any “significant contributions” when during hearings in Supreme Court or High Courts”, the report quotes a study of the NHRC recommendations, collated from its monthly newsletters for the year 2016 and January-April 2017, to say that “of the total 317 recommendations were made in 2016, 122 cases (38.48%) are treated as closed.”
Sharply criticizing NHRC for “keeping its distance from all controversial subjects”, the report states, it has failed to act independently of the government even in appointment of its members, including investigating officers. The result was that, last year, Avinash Rai Khanna, vice-president, BJP, was sought to be appointed NHRC member without any screening process.

Police officers, IB officials on deputation investigate NHRC complaints, creating conflict of interest in cases of abuse committed by authorities

Noting that NHRC employs police officers to investigate complaints, “which creates a real or perceived conflict of interest in cases of abuse committed by police and impacts the ability of the victims to access justice”, the report says, “These police officers are on deputation to NHRC and are nor permanent employees of NHRC. As such, their primary loyalty is to their parent police departments.”
“What is even more worrying is large number of Intelligence Bureau staff deputed to the NHRC. These officers are not answerable to anyone and have no expertise in the field of human rights”, it underlines.
Giving the example of PVK Reddy, who was appointed as the Director General (Investigation) of NHRC after Supreme Court asked NHRC to fill up the post, the report regrets, Reddy served as Special Director General in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the largest para-military organisation in India.
It adds, several complaints on human rights violations by security personnel under him are pending before courts. Reddy completed his term April 2017 and the post continues to be vacant.
Pointing towards how NHRC has failed to lobby for having even a law specifically catering towards the prevention of custodial torture, the report says, “The NHRC keeps count of incidents of custodial torture only if the inhuman treatment led to death and not otherwise. Between 2013 and 2016, only in two cases of custodial torture was a disciplinary action recommended by NHRC.”

Comments

From plagiarism to proxy exams: Galgotias and systemic failure in education

By Sandeep Pandey* Shock is being expressed at Galgotias University being found presenting a Chinese-made robotic dog and a South Korean-made soccer-playing drone as its own creations at the recently held India AI Impact Summit 2026, a global event in New Delhi. Earlier, a UGC-listed journal had published a paper from the university titled “Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis,” which became the subject of widespread ridicule. Following the robotic dog controversy coming to light, the university has withdrawn the paper. These incidents are symptoms of deeper problems afflicting the Indian education system in general. Galgotias merely bit off more than it could chew.

Covishield controversy: How India ignored a warning voice during the pandemic

Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD * It is a matter of pride for us that a person of Indian origin, presently Director of National Institute of Health, USA, is poised to take over one of the most powerful roles in public health. Professor Jay Bhattacharya, an Indian origin physician and a health economist, from Stanford University, USA, will be assuming the appointment of acting head of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA. Bhattacharya would be leading two apex institutions in the field of public health which not only shape American health policies but act as bellwether globally.

The 'glass cliff' at Galgotias: How a university’s AI crisis became a gendered blame game

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* “She was not aware of the technical origins of the product and in her enthusiasm of being on camera, gave factually incorrect information.” These were the words used in the official press release by Galgotias University following the controversy at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. The statement came across as defensive, petty, and deeply insensitive.

Farewell to Saleem Samad: A life devoted to fearless journalism

By Nava Thakuria* Heartbreaking news arrived from Dhaka as the vibrant city lost one of its most active and committed citizens with the passing of journalist, author and progressive Bangladeshi national Saleem Samad. A gentleman who always had issues to discuss with anyone, anywhere and at any time, he passed away on 22 February 2026 while undergoing cancer treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He was 74.

Growth without justice: The politics of wealth and the economics of hunger

By Vikas Meshram* In modern history, few periods have displayed such a grotesque and contradictory picture of wealth as the present. On one side, a handful of individuals accumulate in a single year more wealth than the annual income of entire nations. On the other, nearly every fourth person in the world goes to bed hungry or half-fed.

From ancient wisdom to modern nationhood: The Indian story

By Syed Osman Sher South of the Himalayas lies a triangular stretch of land, spreading about 2,000 miles in each direction—a world of rare magic. It has fired the imagination of wanderers, settlers, raiders, traders, conquerors, and colonizers. They entered this country bringing with them new ethnicities, cultures, customs, religions, and languages.

Thali, COVID and academic credibility: All about the 2020 'pseudoscientific' Galgotias paper

By Jag Jivan* The first page image of the paper "Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis" published in the Journal of Molecular Pharmaceuticals and Regulatory Affairs , Vol. 2, Issue 2 (2020), has gone viral on social media in the wake of the controversy surrounding a Chinese robot presented by the Galgotias University as its original product at the just-concluded AI summit in Delhi . The resurfacing of the 2020 publication, authored by Dharmendra Kumar , Galgotias University, has reignited debate over academic standards and scientific credibility.

Conversion laws and national identity: A Jesuit response response to the Hindutva narrative

By Rajiv Shah A recent book, " Luminous Footprints: The Christian Impact on India ", authored by two Jesuit scholars, Dr. Lancy Lobo and Dr. Denzil Fernandes , seeks to counter the current dominant narrative on Indian Christians , which equates evangelisation with conversion, and education, health and the social services provided by Christians as meant to lure -- even force -- vulnerable sections into Christianity.

Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov, the artist who survived Stalin's cultural purges

By Harsh Thakor* Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov (September 14, 1885 – April 20, 1964) was a Soviet artist, professor, academician, and teacher. His work was posthumously awarded the Lenin Prize, the highest artistic honour of the USSR. His paintings traced the development of socialist realism in the visual arts while retaining qualities drawn from impressionism. Gerasimov reconciled a lyrical approach to nature with the demands of Soviet socialist ideology.

Search This Blog