Hry rights panel holds double sittings to clear pendency
The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC), which started functioning earlier this week after a recess of about eight months, has started holding double sittings on daily basis to clear up the pendency of over 2,500 cases.
The HHRC became functional after the state government appointed justice (retd) SK Mittal, former Lokpal of Punjab, as its chairperson and justice KC Puri (retd) as judicial member, earlier this week.
Justice Mittal said that since there was a pendency of about 2,500 cases, it has started holding double sittings on daily basis. “We are disposing of about 40 cases daily since April 23, when we joined,’’ he said and hoped that the panel would thus streamline its functioning within five months. Mittal said the HHRC also plans to regularly hold sittings in 10 districts of south Haryana to save complainants from travelling hassles and expenses. “Some of these districts are 300 km to 400 km away from Chandigah, hence this decision,” he said.
The post of the HHRC chairman remained vacant for the past over 20 months and members’ posts were vacant for the past over eight months.
The then HHRC chairman justice (retd) Vijendra Jain retired on August 1, 2016. The two members of HHRC, namely justice (retd) HS Bhalla (judicial) and JS Ahlawat, a retired bureaucrat (non-judicial), retired on September 19, 2017 and September 20, 2017, respectively.
Most of the pending complaints pertained to the alleged atrocities on women, Dalits and weaker sections of society.