National Human Rights Commission (NHRC):
- It is a statutory body established under Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.
- The Commission is the watchdog of human rights in India.
Composition:
- The Commission is a multi-member body consisting of a chairperson and five members.
Appointment :
- The chairperson and members are appointed by the President on the recommendations of a six-member committee consisting of:
- Prime Minister as its head
- Speaker of the Lok Sabha
- Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha
- Leaders of the Opposition in both the Houses of Parliament
- Central Home Minister
Tenure:
- The chairperson and members are appointed for the term of 3 years or till the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier.
- The chairperson and members are eligible for reappointment.
UN-related body to review NHRC accreditation status
Global Alliance for National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI):
- It is an organisation affiliated to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
- GANHRI’s mission is to unite, promote, and strengthen NHRIs to operate in line with the UN Paris Principles. Accreditation by the GANHRI:
- Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) reviews National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) every five years, and there is an appeal process for NHRIs to ensure greater transparency and due process.
- In a unique peer-review-based accreditation process. GANHRI ensures individual NHRIs’ compliance with the Paris Principles – to ensure their independence, pluralism and accountability.
- The Paris Principles set out internationally agreed minimum standards that NHRIs must meet to be considered credible.
- The six principles require a country‘s human rights agency to be independent from the government in its structure, composition, decision-making and method of operation.
India’s accreditation:
- India’s NHRC got ‘A’ status of accreditation for the first time in 1999, which it retained in 2006, 2011, and in 2017 after it was deferred for a year.
