The term of office of members of the National Human Rights Commission from the date on which he/she enters upon his/her office is
- (a)five years or till the age of 65 years
- (b)five years or till the age of 70 years
- (c)six years or till the age of 65 years
- (d)six years or till the age of 70 years
Correct — B, five years or till the age of 70 years. Under Section 6 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 as it stood in 2018, a Member of the NHRC held office for a term of five years from the date he entered office, or until he attained the age of 70 years — whichever came earlier — and was eligible for re-appointment. The age ceiling is 70, and the term is five (not six) years, so option B matches. (The 2019 amendment later reduced the term to three years, keeping the age-70 ceiling.)
- (a)five years or till the age of 65 years — Correct term length (five years) but wrong age ceiling — the NHRC limit is 70, not 65.
- (c)six years or till the age of 65 years — Wrong on both — the term is five years, not six, and the age limit is 70, not 65. 'Six years / 65' is the pattern for the CAG and UPSC members, a classic mix-up.
- (d)six years or till the age of 70 years — Right age ceiling (70) but wrong term — it is five years, not six.
The NHRC's Chairperson and Members are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a high-level committee, and they have a fixed tenure with an age cap. In 2018 that tenure was five years or until age 70, whichever was earlier, with re-appointment allowed. A Member can be removed only on proved misbehaviour or incapacity, after an inquiry by the Supreme Court — the same protection given to a superior-court judge.
The trap is the '65 vs 70' and 'five vs six years' pairing. Lock the NHRC values (five years / 70) and separate them from the CAG–UPSC family (six years / 65). Also note the year of the change: the 2019 amendment cut the term to three years.
- In 2018 an NHRC Member's term was five years or until age 70, whichever earlier (Section 6).
- Members are eligible for re-appointment.
- The 2019 amendment shortened the term to three years (age-70 ceiling retained).
- Contrast: the CAG and UPSC members serve six years or until 65 — a frequent mix-up.
The NHRC's ceiling is 70 (not 65); its 2018 term was five years — option B.
- Age 65 vs 70
- Five years vs six years
- Mixing the NHRC with the CAG/UPSC tenure pattern
Direct recall of term and age. Watch which version (pre- or post-2019 amendment) the question is set on.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Under the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Act, 2019, the term of the Chairperson and Members of the NHRC was fixed at:
- (a)five years or till the age of 70
- (b)three years or till the age of 70
- (c)six years or till the age of 65
- (d)four years or till the age of 70
Answer(b) three years or till the age of 70 — the 2019 amendment shortened the earlier five-year term.
- practice — not a real PYQ
A Member of the NHRC can be removed on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity only after an inquiry by:
- (a)the President directly
- (b)the Supreme Court
- (c)a Parliamentary committee
- (d)the Ministry of Home Affairs
Answer(b) the Supreme Court — the President refers the charge to the Supreme Court, as for a superior-court judge.