CURTAIN RAISER
NHRC open hearing in Jaipur on complaints of atrocities against Scheduled Castes in Rajasthan
New Delhi, September 11th, 2012
A delegation of the National Human Rights Commission headed by Mr. Justice K.G. Balakrishnan will be in Jaipur in Rajasthan from the 13th-14th September, 2012 to listen at an 'open hearing' about 115 complaints relating to atrocities against Scheduled Castes and the problems faced by them in seeking justice from the State Government agencies. NHRC Members, Mr. Justice B.C. Patel and Mr. Satyabrata Pal and senior officers of the Commission will be part of the NHRC delegation.
The Commission had invited complaints for this open hearing for which about 300 complaints were received out of which 115 have been short-listed for the open hearing. These mainly comprise complaints on denial of benefits of social welfare schemes, police inaction and poor investigation among others.
After the inauguration of the open hearing by the NHRC Chairperson at Patel Bhawan, Harish Chandra Mathur Rajasthan Rajya Lok Prashashan Sansthan (OTS), Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur. Rajasthan at10:00 AM on the 13th September,2012, the complainants will be heard by the NHRC Members, Mr. Justice B.C. Patel and Mr. Satyabrata Pal in two separate benches at the same venue.
On 14 September, 2012, the Chairperson, Members and senior officers of the Commission will hold meeting with the representatives of NGOs at the same venue from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Thereafter, meeting of senior officers of the State Government including Chief Secretary and DGP will be held from 11:45 AM to 01:30 PM.
On the same day at 03:00 PM, the NHRC Chairperson accompanied by Members and senior officers will address a press conference on the outcome of the open hearing at Patel Bhawan.
Prior to this, the Commission has held three open hearings of complaints on atrocities against Scheduled Castes in Odisha, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. The Commission has decided to hold such open hearings to reach out to the Dalits and hear their complaints about violations of their rights by the public authorities as part of the recommendations given by Mr. K.B. Saxena, IAS(Retd) in his report commissioned by the NHRC on the continuing problems faced by the Scheduled Castes.
The report is available on the NHRC website: www.nhrc.nic.in. Among the recommendations Mr. Saxena made was one that the Commission organise at least one open hearing a year "where the victims of major atrocities can present their experiences and grievances in seeking justice from Government agencies and human rights bodies/non-governmental organizations/social workers and activists may apprise the Commission of difficulties encountered by them in taking up their complaints. In the interaction with the State Government subsequent to the hearing, the Commission may convey its observations and advice on various actions to be taken for effective enforcement of law, sustaining confidence of victims and, where required, looking into the conduct of officials coming in for adverse reference during the hearing. The follow up action on the hearings may be monitored."
The National Human Rights Commission, set up under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 with a mandate to promote and protect human rights in the country, has always paid particular attention to the needs of the weakest sections of Indian society, among whom the Scheduled Castes are among the most vulnerable. Their human rights have been systematically violated for centuries, and, despite the protection now formally afforded to them by the Constitution and the law, including the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, they continue to suffer discrimination, while their socio-economic condition remains a matter of the gravest concern.
Special care is both needed and justified for them, and therefore the Commission takes suo motu cognizance of reports of atrocities committed against or problems faced by these communities, deals on priority with complaints it receives of human rights violations committed against them and works closely with other key stakeholders, including the NGOs who champion their cause, to try to get them justice and to bring them redress.
against them, or any other violation of their human rights.
*****
A delegation of the National Human Rights Commission headed by Mr. Justice K.G. Balakrishnan will be in Jaipur in Rajasthan from the 13th-14th September, 2012 to listen at an 'open hearing' about 115 complaints relating to atrocities against Scheduled Castes and the problems faced by them in seeking justice from the State Government agencies. NHRC Members, Mr. Justice B.C. Patel and Mr. Satyabrata Pal and senior officers of the Commission will be part of the NHRC delegation.
The Commission had invited complaints for this open hearing for which about 300 complaints were received out of which 115 have been short-listed for the open hearing. These mainly comprise complaints on denial of benefits of social welfare schemes, police inaction and poor investigation among others.
After the inauguration of the open hearing by the NHRC Chairperson at Patel Bhawan, Harish Chandra Mathur Rajasthan Rajya Lok Prashashan Sansthan (OTS), Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur. Rajasthan at10:00 AM on the 13th September,2012, the complainants will be heard by the NHRC Members, Mr. Justice B.C. Patel and Mr. Satyabrata Pal in two separate benches at the same venue.
On 14 September, 2012, the Chairperson, Members and senior officers of the Commission will hold meeting with the representatives of NGOs at the same venue from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Thereafter, meeting of senior officers of the State Government including Chief Secretary and DGP will be held from 11:45 AM to 01:30 PM.
On the same day at 03:00 PM, the NHRC Chairperson accompanied by Members and senior officers will address a press conference on the outcome of the open hearing at Patel Bhawan.
Prior to this, the Commission has held three open hearings of complaints on atrocities against Scheduled Castes in Odisha, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. The Commission has decided to hold such open hearings to reach out to the Dalits and hear their complaints about violations of their rights by the public authorities as part of the recommendations given by Mr. K.B. Saxena, IAS(Retd) in his report commissioned by the NHRC on the continuing problems faced by the Scheduled Castes.
The report is available on the NHRC website: www.nhrc.nic.in. Among the recommendations Mr. Saxena made was one that the Commission organise at least one open hearing a year "where the victims of major atrocities can present their experiences and grievances in seeking justice from Government agencies and human rights bodies/non-governmental organizations/social workers and activists may apprise the Commission of difficulties encountered by them in taking up their complaints. In the interaction with the State Government subsequent to the hearing, the Commission may convey its observations and advice on various actions to be taken for effective enforcement of law, sustaining confidence of victims and, where required, looking into the conduct of officials coming in for adverse reference during the hearing. The follow up action on the hearings may be monitored."
The National Human Rights Commission, set up under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 with a mandate to promote and protect human rights in the country, has always paid particular attention to the needs of the weakest sections of Indian society, among whom the Scheduled Castes are among the most vulnerable. Their human rights have been systematically violated for centuries, and, despite the protection now formally afforded to them by the Constitution and the law, including the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, they continue to suffer discrimination, while their socio-economic condition remains a matter of the gravest concern.
Special care is both needed and justified for them, and therefore the Commission takes suo motu cognizance of reports of atrocities committed against or problems faced by these communities, deals on priority with complaints it receives of human rights violations committed against them and works closely with other key stakeholders, including the NGOs who champion their cause, to try to get them justice and to bring them redress.
against them, or any other violation of their human rights.
*****