Ahead of the fifth review of the accreditation status of the National Human Rights Commission of India (NHRCI) by the Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), the undersigned organisations, including the Observatory, have expressed serious concerns about the functioning of the Commission. Taking cognizance of the letter and other civil society submissions in March, GANHRI-SCA deferred the NHRCI’s re-accreditation by 12 months after considering the NHRCI’s failure to effectively discharge its mandates to respond to the escalating human rights violations in India, lack of pluralism in selection and appointments of its duty holders and insufficient cooperation with human rights bodies, amongst others. GANHRI-SCA also recommended the NHRCI to improve its processes and functions in line with the United Nations Principles relating to the Status of National Institutions (The Paris Principles). However, both the NHRCI and Indian government have yet again failed to make the requisite improvements.
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