A high-level panel led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened in New Delhi on Wednesday to deliberate on the selection of the next chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
Sources confirmed that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior party leader Rahul Gandhi attended the meeting in their capacities as leaders of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha, respectively.
The position of NHRC chairperson has remained vacant since Justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra, the eighth chairperson of the commission, completed his term on 1 June. Justice Mishra, a former Supreme Court judge, had been appointed to the role in June 2021.
Committee composition and NHRC framework
As stipulated by the law governing the NHRC, the selection committee for the rights body’s chairperson is chaired by the prime minister.
Its other members include the Lok Sabha Speaker, home minister, leader of the Opposition in both Houses of Parliament, and the deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha.
Following Justice Mishra’s retirement, NHRC member Vijaya Bharathi Sayani assumed the role of acting chairperson.
According to statutory provisions, the post of NHRC chairperson is reserved for a former Chief Justice of India or a retired judge of the Supreme Court.
The president appoints the chairperson on the recommendation of the selection panel.
Notable past NHRC chairpersons include former CJIs H L Dattu and K G Balakrishnan, among others.
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