Seriousness of the government for protecting and respecting human rights of its people can be gauged from the fact that the only government rights body - State Human Rights Commission - is virtually defunct from past one year in absence of its working body.
Sources told KNS that the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs has totally failed in filling the posts of chairman and three members that constitute the working body of SHRC from past year, thus rendering it to a “toothless tiger”.
“The commission has been rendered virtually defunct and the number of cases about human rights violations in the state reaching to the commission is only piling up,” said an official working in SHRC on conditions of anonymity. He said till few months before people would come to the commission office in Srinagar and to the sub-offices in other places with their complaints about the human rights violations, but now as “they realized that no work is happening here, they have stopped coming.”
Sources added that till 23rd October 2011 the commission had a full-fledged working body with Rtd Justice Bashir-ud-Din as its chairman and the three members include, Haveed Qawoosa, Fida Hussain and Amlok Singh.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelBut after retirement of Justice Bashir-ud-Din on October 23, 2011, Qawoosa was made in-charge chairman, thus leaving the commission with only two members and an acting chairman. Then Qawoosa retires on October 22, 2013, leaving behind Hussain and Singh. The two members run the show in SHRC till June 28, 2014 when both of them retire. Since then, the commission is without a working body, thus rendering it virtually defunct, added sources.
From its inception in 1997 till date, the Commission has registered 5153 cases or complaints out of which 3995 cases have been disposed off. Ex-gratia relief and Compassionate Appointments have been recommended in 1050 cases. 1158 cases are pending with the Commission. During the year 2009-10, a total of 426 cases have been registered out of which 211 cases have been disposed off and ex-gratia relief/ compassionate appointment has been recommended in 28 cases.