Important cases

NHRC sends notice to Bihar Chief Secretary

The Commission sent notice to the Chief Secretary, Bihar on a report which said that one farm worker had been repaying 40 kgs of rice with 27 years of bonded labour in a village about 60 km from Patna.

The report which appeared in the "Times of India" on March 27, 2007, said atleast couple of farm workers at Paipura Barki village, have not been able to throw off bondage even though they have worked for nearly three decades for their "masters". The report said that one Jawahar Manjhi now 45 year old had taken rice as loan from the local moneylender for a wedding 27 years back, when he was a teenager. At that time, it was decided that Manjhi would work in the lender's field and repay with his labour. He would be given one kg of rice, which is one-third of the normal payment of three kgs for a day's work. Since then, he has been working six days a week, eight hours a day but the loan remains to be repaid. However, he does not know how much he has repaid and how much he owes to the lender.

NHRC issues notice to the Commissioner, MCD

The Commission sent notice to the Commissioner, MCD asking for a factual report on a distressing news, which said that children below three years cannot be cremated as the ghats for children were badly managed.

The report telecast by CNN IBN said that the family of Shantanu Sharma went to eight crematoriums across the city to perform the last rites of their fifteen month old nephew. The authorities of the crematoriums told them that children below the age of three cannot be cremated as it was against the Hindu Law.

The news item depicted a serious malady of the system, which denies proper cremation of children who may die "too young". It also highlighted the poor and shabby management of land where children are laid to rest.