Who is not a member of the Committee constituted for recommendations of appointment of Chairperson and other Members of National Human Rights Commission ?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — D, the Chairman of the Council of States. Under Section 4 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, the six-member committee that recommends appointments to the NHRC comprises the Prime Minister (Chairperson), the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the Union Home Minister, the Leaders of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, and the Deputy Chairman of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha). It is the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha who sits on the panel — the Chairman of the Council of States (the Vice-President of India) does not. So (d) is the only person listed who is not a member.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) The Prime Minister is in fact the Chairperson of this committee, so he is very much a member.  (b) The Speaker of the Lok Sabha (House of the People) is a member of the committee.  (c) The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha is a member (the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha is also on the panel).

Concept: The NHRC is a statutory body created by the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 (it is not a constitutional body). Its Chairperson and Members are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a high-level, six-member committee headed by the Prime Minister. The panel deliberately spans the executive and both Houses of Parliament, including the opposition, to keep the appointment broad-based.

State PCS 2019 Q26 — Indian Polity PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2019 Q26 — Indian Polity PYQ with Answer