National Human Rights Commission – NHRC Composition, Features, Members

What is National Human Rights Commission?

NHRC stands for the National Human Rights Commission. It is a non-constitutional body that acts as a watchdog for preserving and protecting human rights in the country. According to the United Nations, every individual is guaranteed a certain set of rights, like the right to life, liberty, equality, freedom of opinion, freedom from slavery, etc.

National Human Rights Commission – NHRC Notes

The National Human Rights Commission works in the same domain to protect these rights of human life. TheNHRC is headquartered in New Delhiand celebrated its 25th anniversary on October 12th, 2018. Check out the NHRC UPSC Notes PDF to have a detailed overview of the National Human Rights Commission of India for the UPSC exam.

National Human Rights Commission – Important Points

Human Rights are a core part of citizens of any country. It is highly essential to be well-versed in their rights to save themselves from exploitation and practice their rights without hesitation. NHRC also known as National Human Rights Commission helps people understand their rights and maintain decorum and unification in India.

Check out the important points regarding the National Human Rights Commission of India below:

• The Human Rights Commission of India was established by the government of India under the protection of the Human Rights Act 1993 to protect several rights essential for a quality human life, which included the right to liberty, equality, freedom from slavery, freedom to speech, etc.

• Every individual present on this planet has a certain dignity and is allowed to live with it. Hence, to maintain the dignity of human life, the NHRC was established to safeguard their rights and provide a quality life for them.

• These rights are guaranteed by the Indian constitution and enforced by higher courts in India. The Fundamental rights are enshrined in the constitution.

• Similar to the NHRC, the Paris Principle of Human Rights was also established in 1991. The NHRC complies with it. The United Nations General Assembly adopted this subject in 1993.

History of the National Human Rights Commission of India

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in Paris on December 10, 1948. This action proved to be a landmark in the history of humankind, where a step was taken to protect human rights. Soon after that, in 1991, the Paris Principles were introduced by National Human Rights Institutions, popularly known as NHRIs. In 1993, the United Nations general assembly adopted these principles, and in the same year, India also enacted the Human Rights Protection Act.

• Features of Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• Objectives of Universal Declaration of Human Rights

This was the first time the foundation for the National Human Rights Commission was laid. Big institutions started to realize the importance of preserving human rights, resulting in the Paris Principles being accepted by the UN, and in accordance with these principles, India also took a step ahead and welcomed the production of the Human Rights Act in 1993. Even the state governments in India were authorized and asked by the higher court and the constitution to establish the Human Rights Commission.

NHRC Full Form

NHRC’s full form is the National Human Rights Commission. It is a body set up by law to preserve and protect human rights. It was established in 1993 under the Human Rights Act. NHRC is responsible for the protection and preservation of human rights defined by the act as ‘Rights related to life, liberty, and dignity of an individual guaranteed by the constitution and courts of our country.

Cases of Human Rights violation in India are increasing day by day and to resolve these issues National Human Rights Commission helps the government of India. Labor rights, LGBTQ community rights, child labor, violence, and discrimination against women and children are a few of the issues faced by NHRC. Currently, the chairman of NHRC is Justice Arun Kumar Mishra.

NHRC Full Form in Hindi – एनएचआरसी का फुल फॉर्म क्या है?

NHRC का हिंदी में फुल फॉर्म “राष्ट्रीय मानवाधिकार आयोग” है| इसे अंग्रेजी में ‘National Human Rights Commission’ कहते हैं| इसकी स्थापना 1993 में मानवाधिकार अधिनियम के तहत की गई थी। NHRC मानव अधिकारों के संरक्षण के लिए जिम्मेदार है|

संयुक्त राष्ट्र के अनुसार, प्रत्येक व्यक्ति को अधिकारों के एक निश्चित समूह की गारंटी दी जाती है, जैसे जीवन का अधिकार, स्वतंत्रता, समानता, विचार की स्वतंत्रता, गुलामी से मुक्ति आदि। राष्ट्रीय मानवाधिकार आयोग मानव जीवन के अधिकारों की रक्षा के लिए निरंतर अथक प्रयास करता है।

Composition of NHRC (National Human Rights Commission)

Although the NHRC is a non-constitutional body, it is composed of dignified members. The NHRC Composition includes a chairperson along with 12 other working members. Also, these 12 NHRC Members are divided into two sections: five full-time members and seven deemed Members. Take a look at the chart given below to understand the composition of the members of the NHRC in detail.

Composition of National Human Rights Commission
The Chairman	The retired CJI (Chief Justice of India)
First Member	Former/ Present Judge of Supreme Court
Second Member	Former/ Present Judge of a High Court
Two Member	Candidates holding experience and deep knowledge about the matters of Human Rights.
Deemed NHRC Members	National Commission for Minorities National Commission for Women National Commission for SCs National Commission for STs

Appointment of NHRC Members

There are set norms that need to be followed to be appointed as a member of the National Human Rights Commission. NHRC members are represented by a selection committee recommending candidates to the president of India. The selection committee for the appointment of NHRC members is curated very wisely as the commission plays an important role in the advancement of the country. This selection committee includes:

• Prime Minister
• Lok Sabha Speaker
• Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha
• Home Minister
• The opposition leader in both houses

Removal of the NHRC Members

The chairperson of NHRC and other members of NHRC are appointed for 5 years or the age of 70 years. However, these members or the chairperson can be removed from power immediately if found with the charges of misbehavior or incapable if proven guilty by the inquiry set by the supreme court of India.

The President of India does the removal of NHRC members if the concerned person is found suspected on the grounds of bankruptcy and sound mind infirmary of body or mind. They can be sentenced to imprisonment or monetary punishments.

List of Chairmans for NHRC

Here we have provided a chronological list of chairmans for the Human Rights Commission of India. Candidates preparing for the UPSC exam must jot down and adhere to the list as NHRC UPSC notes can be useful for the examination. Take a look at the tabulated data mentioned herewith:

Chairmans for NHRC
Sr. No.	Name	Tenure
1.	Justice Ranganath Misra	12 October 1993 – 24 November 1996
2.	Justice M N Venkatachaliah	26 November 1996 – 24 October 1999
3.	Justice J S Verma	4 November 1999 – 17 January 2003
4.	Justice A S Anand	17 February 2003 – 31 October 2006
5.	Justice Shivaraj Patil (Acting)	1 November 2006 – 1 April 2007
6.	Justice S. Rajendra Babu	2 April 2007 – 31 May 2009
7.	Justice G. P. Mathur (Acting)	1 June 2009 – 6 June 2010
8.	Justice K G Balakrishnan	7 June 2010 – 11 May 2015
9.	Justice Cyriac Joseph (Acting)	11 May 2015 – 28 February 2016
10.	Justice H.L. Dattu	29 February 2016 – 2 December 2020
11.	Justice Prafulla Chandra Pant (Acting)	2 May 2021 – 1 June 2021
12.	Justice Arun Kumar Mishra	2 June 2021 – Incumbent

Limitation of NHRC (National Human Rights Commission of India)

National Human Rights Commission is a statutory body created with rules and regulations. There are certain limits around which NHRC has to work. Check out the limitation of NHRC mentioned here below:

• NHRC is not authorized to take any action against the violation of human rights done by any private party.
• The recommendations of NHRC are not Binding in nature.
• NHRC has no authority to penalize the authority denying its orders’ implementation.
• NHRC has got nearly zero jurisdictions within reach of the armed forces.
• NHRC is limited to holding cases older than a year, anonymous in nature, frivolous, and pertaining to services.

Functions of National Human Rights Commission

Broadly, the functions of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) are to file and enquire about complaints of violations of human rights and to take action against such problems.

• The NHRC has the authority to intervene in any case where there has been a complaint of a violation of human rights.

• The NHRC is authorized to investigate cases related to violations of human rights.

• As a result, the NHRC is authorized to inspect the living conditions of prisoners in any of a state’s jails or prisons.

• The NHRC also oversees awareness campaigns and promotes the value of literacy through advertisements in various media outlets.

• The NHRC can also recommend suggestions or steps to the government of India to protect the living standards of human beings and prevent the violation of human rights. This can be applied to both central and state governments.

• The NHRC is also required to submit an annual report to the President of India, which is then presented to the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Issues on National Human Rights Committee

By now we have discussed that the function of the NHRC is to protect human rights, but what are those specific rights for which the NHRC is constituted? NHRC deals with numerous issues regarding the violation of human rights. With the increasing number of crimes and exploitation, the issues on the National Human Rights Commission are also increasing day by day. Let’s have a look at some major issues related to the NHRC.

• Manual scavenging
• Sexual Assault
• Illegal encounters and extrajudicial killings
• Child labor
• Child marriage
• LGBTQ issues
• Labour rights
• Custodial torture of the prisoners
• Arbitrary arrest and mental harassment
• Discrimination against women and children

Role of National Human Rights Commission

The role of the National Human Rights Commission is to maintain decorum and peace in the country. They also help spread awareness regarding human rights. The National Human Rights Commission of India works on various issues of human rights violations to protect against the exploitation of human rights.

Sexual Assault, Labour Rights, Child Marriage, and Exploitation of Human Rights are a few of the major issues on which the National Human Rights Commission of India works. Their main motive is to make people aware of their rights to prevent them from getting exploited. Secondly, they make sure to act on complaints all around the country to maintain a sense of justice and unification among people.

The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019

The Lok Sabha passed the Protection of Human Rights Amendment Bill 2019 to make the NHRC more inclusive. Following are some major Amendment that was proposed in the Protection of Human Rights Amendment Bill:

• A person who has been formerly a judge of the Supreme Court of India is eligible for the position of chairperson of the commission.
• The judge of the High Court is also eligible to be the chairperson of the commission along with the Chief Justice of the High Court.
• The number of members in the commission shall be increased from 2 to 3 where at least one should be a woman.
• The commission should also include chairpersons of different important fields like the National Commission for Backward Classes, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, and the Chief Commissioner of Persons with disabilities as the deemed members.
• Assign the Human Rights functions being discharged by the union territories to the state commissions except for The Human Rights responsible for the UT of Delhi.

Difference between the Protection of Human Rights Act 1993 and Human Rights Amendment Bill 2019

We have provided a detailed difference between the Protection of Human Rights Act 1993 and the Human Rights Amendment Bill 2019 here in the tabulated data. Check out the table to understand the differences between both the bills as it is an important section for the UPSC exam.

Protection of Human Rights Act 1993 Vs Protection of Human Rights Bill, 2019

Protection of Human Rights Act 1993	Protection of Human Rights Bill, 2019
The protection of human rights act 1993 was an act to provide for the constitution of NHRC, SHRC in states, and Human Rights quotes to protect the Human Rights in a better position and for matters related therewith or thereto.	The Protection of Human Rights bill 2019 was introduced by Amit Shah who was formerly the Minister of Home Affairs in Lok Sabha.
This act extended to the whole of the country and rules were made to be strictly followed to maintain a sense of justice among people.	This Amendment Act calls for two commissions called, the National Human Rights Commission and State Human Rights Commission along with human rights courts.
It needs to be understood that it shall not only be applied to Jammu and Kashmir and any respect to any matter related to any of the entries listed in the first and third list of the 7th schedule in the constitution of India as it is for the state.	Under the protection of the Human Rights bill 2019, but the chairperson of the NHRC should also be the chief justice of the Supreme Court of India which after the amendment was provided with the changes that tell that the judge of the Supreme Court of India can also be the chairperson of NHRC.

State Human Rights Commission

SHRC also stands for State Human Rights Commission. State Human Rights Commission works on the state level under the National Human Rights Commission of India. It was established under the Protection of Human Rights Act 1993. Currently, the State Human Rights Commission is working in 26 states. State Human Rights Commission works on the issues mentioned in the State list and Concurrent list of the 7th schedule of the Indian constitution.

The composition of the State Human Rights Commission includes two members and one chairman. The State Human Rights Commission members are appointed by the Governor of the state. SHRC submits its annual report to the National Human Rights Commission of India for final verdicts.

Difference Between National Human Rights Commission and State Human Rights Commission

There is no major difference between the National Human Rights Commission and State Human Rights Commission. The State Human Rights Commission comes under NHRC. NHRC is the ruling body working against the violation of human rights. The main role of SHRC is to file complaints against the exploitation of human rights and other issues regarding human welfare to NHRC. Check out the tabulated data mentioned here to have a well-apprehended overview of the difference between NHRC and SHRC.

National Human Rights Commission Vs State Human Rights Commission

National Human Rights Commission	State Human Rights Commission
National Human Rights Commission is a statutory body of the Indian government established in 1933. Its main goal is to prevent human rights exploitation.	State Human Rights Commission also known as SHRC has been set up in different states to smoothen the workflow of NHRC. They report complaints directly to NHRC from all over the states.
It has a chairman and 12 members	It has a chairman and two members.
National Human Rights Commission is the ruling body of all SHRCs and they maintain decorum and justice in society.	They report to the National Human Rights Commission of India for final verdicts.
NHRC has all power to investigate cases already taken by SHRC.	If NHRC has already investigated a case then SHRC has no power to reinvestigate it.
The National Human Rights Commission is headquartered in Delhi, India.	The State Human Rights Commission has been set up in 26 states so far.

NHRC UPSC Notes

NHRC UPSC is a topic that has relevance with respect to Indian politics and current affairs. But specifically, this topic is an important part of the UPSC Indian Polity subject. It is essential to learn from the perspective of the UPSC Mains Exams. You can also refer to this topic from the Polity books for UPSC and start UPSC preparation. You can download the PDF of the National Human Rights Commission UPSC notes below.

National Human Rights Committee NHRC UPSC Notes

NHRC UPSC Questions

The National Human Rights Commission is an important topic for IAS exam. These important pertinent curated by our experts are a must for the aspirant to prepare well. As this will help them ace their exams meritoriously. Check out the NHRC UPSC questions mentioned here and practice them well for the examination.

Question: Explain the term “human rights.” Has, in your opinion, the NHRC performed efficiently in protecting human rights ever since its establishment?

Question: Critically analyze the roles and responsibilities of the NHRC.

UPSC Notes
Environmental Movements	Article 21
Article 12	CAG of India
Unification of Germany	Right to Education
Ryotwari System	Judicial Activism
Mahalwari System	Citizenship in Indian Constitution