Former Supreme Court judge V Ramasubramanian appointed head of Human Rights Panel

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Retired Supreme Court judge V Ramasubramanian was on Monday appointed the new chairman of the National Human Rights Commission or NHRC, the nodal body which can inquire into violations of human rights by government or a public servant.


The post of NHRC chairperson had been lying vacant since former Supreme Court Justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra completed his tenure on June 1. Vijaya Bharathi Sayani, a member of the NHRC, became its acting chairperson after Justice Mishra retired.


A former chief justice of India or a retired judge of the Supreme Court are appointed as NHRC chairperson by the President on the recommendation of the selection committee. Former CJIs HL Dattu and KG Balakrishnan have been at the helm of the rights body in the past. 


Former chief justice of India DY Chandrachud on Friday said media reports of him being considered for the National Human Rights Commission chairperson's post were "untrue".


On December 18, a high-powered committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting to select the next chairperson of NHRC. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi attended the meeting as leaders of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, respectively.