HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh State Human Rights Commission, whose jurisdiction extends over both Telugu States post bifurcation, is crippled owing to the same reason.
The human rights watchdog has neither chairperson nor members for the past two months, and it is now totally upon the Secretary of the Commission to dispose of the cases.
Term of the Commission’s two members, Kakumani Peda Peri Reddy and Miriyala Rama Rao, ended in August last year, while the chairperson Nisar Ahmad Kakru retired in December.
A resolution was passed by the full Commission, when it was in power, delegating the Commission’s authorities to the Secretary under Section 21(3) of The Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, Commission Secretary D.Subramanyam said.
Panel to be constituted
While the authority to appoint the chairperson, a retired High Court Chief Justice, and the members — one judicial and another non-judicial — lies with the Governor, he can do so only after obtaining recommendations of a committee chaired by the Chief Minister.
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Home Minister, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, and Chairman of the Legislative Council and Leader of the Opposition in the Council, wherever applicable, should be the committee members.
In APSHRC’s case, the committee would have two chief ministers as chairpersons, with a committee of 10 members, to avoid any conflict. “In such situation, an amicable resolution approved by both the chief ministers alone can end the impasse. But no such indication is visible,” says an insider.
Committee bifurcation
With division of assets and liabilities of Schedule X institutions remaining a sticking point, bifurcation of the Commission between two states is pending.Meanwhile, complaints are piling up before the non-existing commission, forcing the Secretary to take the initiative.
For the first six years after its constitution in 2005, the Commission had zero pending cases at year end. The pendency, which had begun with five cases in 2011, has reached 4,597 cases by the end of January this year. Of these, 2,988 cases were from 2016.
Helping underprivileged
“The first chairperson Justice B.Subhashan Reddy had established a positive work culture in the Commission. He would never allow us to go home with even one file pending before us, and he himself would work overtime to dispose the cases,” recalled an employee.
Complainants here typically are from the most deprived and powerless sections who cannot fight prolonged battles in the courts of law — a fact which adds urgency to the matter.
