Even after the expiry of the deadline, the State Government seems in no mood to reconstitute ‘defunct’ State Human Rights Commission.A division bench comprising Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Husnain Masoodi while acting upon a PIL filed by M.M.Shuja had directed the Government to reconstitute the Commission by November 20, 2015.An NGO Jammu and Kashmir People’s Forum through its counsel Advocate Nadeem Qadri had submitted that no formal chairperson was appointed by the state since 2011 and that senior members were designated as acting chairpersons. The State Government in its reply had informed the Court that the Commission will be reconstituted shortly. However, till date the Government has not taken any step in this regard.
Interestingly the Commission has become defunct while the cases pile up with every passing day. The overall strength of SHRC, which looks into human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir is five, including four members and the chairman. The absence of chairperson and the members of the commission are creating hindrances in the normal functioning of the commission. A large numbers of cases are still pending while the new ones are being deferred till government appoints new chairman.An insider told CNS that more than two thousand cases related to rapes, torture, extra judicial killings, child labour and police harassment are pending before the Commission. All these cases are not being heard these days.An official from the Law Department claimed that Government is serious and wants to reconstitute the Commission without any delay. “It is looking for the ‘competent’ persons and once the search will be over, it will be reconstituted,” he said. (CNS)