New Delhi, December 23: V Ramasubramanian, a former Supreme Court judge, has been appointed as the new chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), as announced by the rights panel on Monday.
The position of NHRC chairperson had remained vacant since Justice (retired) Arun Kumar Mishra completed his term on June 1.
Mishra held the role of the eighth chairperson of the commission and was appointed in June 2021.
On December 18, a high-powered committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened to select the new NHRC chairperson, according to earlier reports.
The chairperson of the NHRC is appointed by the president, upon the recommendation of the selection committee, typically consisting of a former Chief Justice of India or a retired Supreme Court judge.
Justice (retired) Ramasubramanian, previously a judge of the Supreme Court, has now been appointed to lead the NHRC, with official communication of the appointment received today.
Past chairpersons of the rights panel include former Chief Justices H L Dattu and K G Balakrishnan.
The NHRC announced via a post on X, stating, “Hon’ble President of India appoints Shri Justice V. Ramasubramanian (Retd.) as the Chairperson, and Shri Priyank Kanoongo and Dr. Justice Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi (Retd.) as Members of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India.”
Priyank Kanoongo previously served as chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
As a member of the NHRC, he expressed his commitment to fulfilling the responsibilities of the role.
Mishra’s appointment marked the first time a non-CJI was appointed to the NHRC chair position following the amendment of the Protection of Human Rights Act in 2019.
He succeeded former Chief Justice H L Dattu.
Vijaya Bharathi Sayani, currently a member of the NHRC, acted as chairperson from June 2 after Mishra’s departure.
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