The National Human Rights Commission, on 30 April 2002, held a meeting with Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police of all States/UTs to review the action taken by the State Governments on a number of issues relating to human rights on which the Commission has been working with them.

Inaugurating the meeting, the NHRC Chairperson Justice J.S.Verma said that the main purpose of the meeting was to share the experiences and problems being faced by both the States/UTs and this Commission in performing their tasks; and to make joint efforts to achieve greater effectiveness. The Chairperson called upon the State Governments to practice good and humane governance. He observed that it was an emerging principle of jurisprudence, universally accepted, that it is the primary responsibility of the State to protect the rights of those who constitute it. The State is responsible not only for the acts of its own agents, but also for the acts of non-state players acting within its jurisdiction. The State is, in addition, responsible for any inaction that may cause on facilitate the violation of human rights. Good governance, he said, is the only answer to prevent the violation or threat of violation of human rights.

The day-long deliberations focused on the functioning of human rights cells set up in all States; special area security acts/bills; atrocities on minorities and SCs/STs; compliance of directions of the Commission in respect of the payment of compensation/disciplinary action; the human rights situation in jails, including issues such as overcrowding, regular inspections, mentally ill prisoners, custodial deaths and rape; manual scavenging; problems of Denotified and Nomadic Tribes; the state-wise reviews conducted by the NHRC in respect of child labour/bonded labour, disability-related human rights issues; trafficking of women; child marriages/registration of marriages; sexual harassment of women in the work place; rights of the mentally ill – conditions of mental hospitals; training of officials – police, judicial/prison administrators, the inclusion of issues relevant to human rights in the induction/in-service course of all training institutions under State Governments.

Specific recommendations were made on each of these subjects and Chief Secretaries/Directors General of Polices were requested to take immediate follow-up action.

All the States/UTs were represented at the meeting. The Chief Secretaries and DGPs engaged in a most useful discussion and gave their suggestions on each of the items discussed.