NHRC Posts Delay in India’s Global Reputation

• The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in India has been without a full-time chairperson since June, with only one member to fill five positions.
• Human rights groups warn that the delay could harm India’s global reputation.
• The NHRC Chairperson’s post has been vacant for three and a half months since former Supreme Court Justice Arun Mishra retired.
• Vijayabharathi Sayani, the sole full-time member, is currently the Acting Chairperson and fulfills the requirement for a woman member.
• The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) deferred the NHRC’s accreditation for the second year in a row due to lack of transparency in appointing members and poor gender and minority representation.
• Amnesty International notes the Union Home Ministry’s delay in appointing a Chairperson and the NHRC’s lack of political will to address human rights violations.