Parliament on Monday passed a Bill to expedite the process of appointment of chairperson and members of NHRC and states rights bodies, with Home Minister Amit Shah allaying fears of the opposition that the government may influence the appointment to the panels.
Intervening in the debate in Rajya Sabha, Shah said that theage limit for appointment to the panel has been reduced to fill the vacancies.
The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019, whichwas passed by Lok Sabha on Friday, provides for reduction in tenure ofchairpersons of national and state human rights bodies to three years from thecurrent five years.
It also stipulates that besides a former chief justice ofIndia, as is the current requirement, a former Supreme Court judge can alsobecome NHRC chairperson.
“There have been apprehension that it will begovernment’s committee … Or members could be re-appointed after threeyears,” Shah said and pointed out that there was panel for appointment. Ifappointments are viewed with suspicion than any democratic body cannotfunction, he said.
Earlier, in his reply, Minister of State (Home Affairs)Nityanand Rai said changes in the legislation will help in protecting humanrights effectively.The Bill was later passed by voice vote in RajyaSabha, completing the parliamentary process.