Protection of Human Right (Amendment) Bill, 2019

• 20 Jul 2019

• To make the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) more inclusive and efficient, Lok Sabha passes the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019 which amends the Protection of Human Rights Act,1993.

Amendment proposed

• A person who has been a Judge of the Supreme Court is also made eligible to be appointed as Chairperson of the Commission in addition to the person who has been the Chief Justice of India.
• Increasing the members of the commission who have knowledge of human rights issues, from two to three, out of which one must be a woman;
• Include Chairperson of the National Commission for Backward Classes, Chairperson of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights and the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities as deemed Members of the Commission;
• Reduces the term of the Chairperson and Members of the Commission and the State Commissions from five to three years and shall be eligible for re-appointment;
• A person who has been a Judge of the High Court is also made eligible to be appointed as Chairperson of the State Commission in addition to the person who has been the Chief Justice of the High Court; and,
• Confer upon State Commissions, the functions relating to human rights being discharged by the Union territories, other than the Union territory of Delhi, which will be dealt with by the Commission.

Protection of Human Right Act, 1993

• The Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 came into force with retrospective effect from September 28, 1993.
• It applies to the whole of India and in case of J&K, it applies to matters pertaining to Union List and the Concurrent List only.
• The Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 was enacted to provide for the constitution of:
  • National Human Rights Commission (NHRC),
  • State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and
  • Human Rights Courts for the protection of human rights.

Human Right

• According to Section 2 of the act -“Human Rights” means the rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the International covenants and enforceable by courts in India.