Delhi govt sets up State Human Rights Commission

New Delhi: Delhi government has set up its first State Human Rights Commission, a senior official on Saturday said.

Justice (retired) Uma Nath Singh is its Chairperson and social activist Raj Mangal Prasad a member.

A senior government official said that there was no State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) for the last 22 years in the national capital.

"Justice Uma Nath Singh as Chairperson and social activist Raj Mangal as the member of the SHRC were unanimously selected by the Committee constituted for the State Human Rights Commission," the official said, adding, "the Commission has been set up."

The selection committee comprised Chief Minister as its Chairman, Speaker of Delhi Assembly (member), Leader of Opposition (member) and Home Minister Satyendar Jain.

Last year, Supreme Court had expressed concern over the fact that there was no State Human Rights Commission in Delhi since last 22 years and asked the government to set up the same within six months.

Chief Justice of India T S Thakur had in December pointed that there was need of state human rights body in the capital.

"It is a misnomer that human rights violations are not there in cities. It happens in cities also. It is totally unacceptable that Delhi has no state human rights commission for last 22 years," Justice Thakur had said on the occasion of Human Rights Day here on December 10.

In the panel, three candidates - Justice Uma Nath Singh (Chief Justice of High Court of Meghalaya), Chief Justice of Jharkhand (rtd) Bhagwati Prasad and Chief Justice of J & K (rtd) B A Khan - had been proposed for the post of Chairman of Delhi Human Right Commission.

Uma Nath Singh had taken oath as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Meghalaya on March 19 last year. He demitted the Office on January 14.

He had also worked as Central Government Counsel to handle Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster case. Singh had practised in the Supreme Court of India for more than 19 years in all type of cases.