Meeting of the Full Commission

A meeting of the Full Commission took place on 28 April 2000, which was presided over by the Chairperson of the Commission, Shri Justice J.S. Verma. The other Members present were Dr. Justice K. Ramaswamy, Smt. Justice Sujata V. Manohar, Shri Sudarshan Agarwal, Shri Virendra Dayal, Smt. Vibha Parthasarathy, Chairperson, National Commission for Women, Justice Shri Mohammed Shamim, Chairperson, National Commission for Minorities and Shri Dilip Singh Buriah, Chairperson, National Commission for Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes. The meeting decided, inter-alia, to obtain up-to-date information covering TADA detainees, both from the Ministry of Home Affairs as well as from the various States. The matter would then be further examined by NHRC.

Arrangements for the monitoring of the mental hospitals in Agra, Ranchi and Gwalior and the monitoring of the Agra Protective Home were reviewed. It was decided that the NCW would be involved in the proper running of the Protective Home. The Chairperson, NCW was requested to work out a detailed programme/methodology in this regard.

Regarding bonded labour, it was decided that a group would be constituted to prepare a report on the present status of the effort to abolish bonded labour; the report would also make suggestions aimed at the effective implementation of the laws in this sphere. On the finalisation of the report, the Supreme Court would be approached for suitable directions to implement the various recommendations. It would be recalled that the Supreme Court has already mandated the Commission to monitor the administration of laws against bonded labour.

The meeting also considered issues relating to the abolition of manual scavenging, the prevalence of problems relating to iron deficiency, the abolition of child labour in the carpet industry and the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission for the prohibition of employment of children below the age of 14 years as domestic servants by Governments servants.