West Bengal Human Rights Commission almost defunct

Rights panel in Bengal totters as govt drags its feet
Sabyasachi Bandopadhyay
Tags : West Bengal Human Rights Commission
Posted: Sat Oct 02 2010, 05:56 hrs
Kolkata:

The state's procrastination — coupled with Opposition's non-cooperation — has made the West Bengal Human Rights Commission almost defunct.

Uncertainty over the Commission's constitution looms large as the Leader of Opposition Partha Chatterjee kept away from Friday's meeting of the selection committee -- headed by chief minister Buddhadeb Bhatacharjee.

The committee selects the chairman and members of the commission, of which Chatterjee is a member. The other member is Speaker Hasim Abdul Halim. Earlier, Chatterjee had written to the state chief secretary saying that the meeting should not be held. He maintained that the appointments to posts of WBHRC chairman and the chief information commissioner should be deferred till a new government takes charge.

The panel that would make the appointments, however, met on Friday. And officials said the names of two existing members, Justice (Retd) Narayan Chandra Sil -- who was also acting chairman ¿ and Saurin Roy, member, whose terms are coming to an end by November-December, were finalised. "The names will be sent to the Governor," said the Speaker.

Earlier, Governor MK Narayanan, however, had rejected the two candidates chosen by the government for the post of Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioner. Since the state could not find a chairman since Justice Shyamal Sen, the last chairman, retired in December 31, 2008, Justice Sil has been acting as chairman. On Friday, the state reappointed Sil and Roy as members of the Commission, which according to the Protection of Human Rights Act 1993, should have five members including the chairman.

For nearly two years, the rights body has been functioning with just two members. For the last one year, Justice Sil worked as the chairman of the one-man commission probing into the firing on Forward Bloc supporters at Dinhata in Coochbehar in 2008. The situation has taken its toll on the functioning of the Commission. Last year, only seven cases were recommended by the commission to the state's Home Department for action in place of the usual 30-32 cases.

"The state is just playing ducks and drakes with such an important organisation," said legal activist Joydeep Mukherjee. "They could not find a chairman for almost two years or three other members. Hundreds of applications on human rights violations are pouring, in but no investigation is being done. How could Justice Sil become chairman of two commissions? I have already moved Calcutta High court regarding this."