Tamil Nadu seeks time to appoint State Human Rights Commission head

Chennai:The state government has informed the Madras high court that it requires eight weeks to take steps to amend the Protection of Human Rights Act, to enable a retired judge of the high court to fill in the role of chairperson of the state human rights commission (SHRC).

 

Advocate general A.L. Somayaji made this submission when the contempt petition from T. Sundaravadanam and two other petitions relating to appointment of chairperson of SHRC, came up for hearing before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan  Kaul and Justice M. Sathyanarayanan.

 

The advocate general submitted that no retired chief justice of the high court was available to fill in the role of chairperson of SHRC and effective steps were being taken to amend the Act by diluting the rigoors of that clause to permit inclusion of a retired high court judge. 

 

It was requested that the matter be held over eight weeks to carry out the necessary exercise, he added.

Originally, on a PIL from Sundaravadanam, the Madras high court had on November 16, 2012, pointing out that the post of chairperson of SHRC had been lying vacant since August 2011, directed the state government to appoint the chairperson as soon as possible, preferably within three months.

 

Since the order was not complied with, Sundaravadanam filed the present contempt application.