Minorities panel has been without a chairperson since April

The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) in India is facing a delay in appointments due to the retirement of its previous Chairperson and member, Iqbal Singh Lalpura. Five members of the NCM, including the Chairperson, have retired since December 2024, with no new appointments made so far. The NCM, under the Ministry of Minority Affairs, should have seven members, including the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson.

• The NCM has been without a Chairperson and several members for months in 2017, and the Delhi High Court asked the Union government to fill up vacant posts in 2021.

• Former NCM Chairperson Tahir Mahmood criticized the NCM for not fully utilizing its utility, stating that the condition of Muslims and Christians remained as it had been before the commission’s establishment.

The delay in appointments has also affected the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI), a quasi-judicial body that aims to safeguard the educational rights of minorities. The NCMEI, which works under the Ministry of Education, should have three members and a Chairperson of at least the rank of a retired judge from a High Court.

• John Dayal, a human rights activist, argues that the BJP government has shown disregard for human rights and minority rights organizations, including the NCM and the NCMEI, since 2014.