Former CJI Dattu completes tenure as NHRC Chief

New Delhi: National Human Rights Commission chairperson H L Dattu on Wednesday completed his tenure during which the apex body disposed of over 4.2 lakh cases, officials said.He had joined the NHRC on February 29, 2016 after retiring as the Chief Justice of India on December 2, 2015.Justice H L Dattu completed his tenure as the seventh chairperson of National Human Rights Commission today. It is not yet known as to who will succeed him, a senior official said.The rights panel, in a statement, said that during his tenure, the Commission had intervened in a number of cases of human rights violations, bringing succour to the victims.The Commission also brought down the number of cases, which were taking long to dispose of.”A total of 3,91,937 complaints of human rights violations were registered during his tenure; 4,20,913 cases, including some old and new cases, were disposed of, and Rs 84,31,94,593 were paid in 268 cases as monetary relief by the public authorities as per the recommendations of the Commission, it said.The Commission, in his leadership, retained its A Status of Accreditation with the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, GANHRI.The dialogue with the state human rights commissions and other national commissions gained strength for mutual cooperation on the matters of human rights, it added.”The Commission also launched its Twitter handle this year, which in a short span, gained a number of followers. He also launched the NHRC’s much popular annual short film competition on human rights in 2015, the statement said.During COVID-19-induced lockdown, in addition to taking suo motu cognisance of media reports on the plight of people, including migrant labourers, the NHRC also intervened in the suo motu writ of the Supreme Court in the matter of migrant labourers, it said.He constituted an expert group to come up with the NHRC COVID-19 advisories. He also strengthened the mechanism of the Commission to hear the human rights violations of the human rights defenders.”During his tenure, the core group mechanism of the Commission gained further impetus along with the appointments of Special Monitors and Special Rapporteurs to act as the eyes and ears of the Commission, the rights panel said.