NHRC’s international accreditation put on hold, for the second consecutive time
The recognition of the National Human Rights Commission, India’s statutory human rights body, with ‘A’ status has been put on hold by the UN-recognised Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions for the second time in a decade, for not adhering to the Paris Principles.
The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), a United Nations-recognised organisation, has, for the second time in a decade, deferred the accreditation of India’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The NHRC’s accreditation as an A-rank holder was put on hold over five primary issues during the latest review by GANHRI. If the commission does not address the concerns within a year, India’s statutory human rights body could be downgraded to B rank.
The GANHRI report cited five major reasons for its decision, according to a report in The Hindu. They are:
- Political interference in appointments
- Involving the police in probes into human rights violations
- Poor cooperation with civil society.
- Lack of diversity in staff and leadership
- Insufficient action to protect marginalised groups
Lack of diversity in staff and leadership was also cited by GANHRI during its review in 2016 as the reason for putting the NHRC’s A rank on hold for the first time since being categorised as such in 1999, to be eventually restored after 12 months.
The NHRC was first categorised as an A-rank holder in 1999, which it retained in the 2006 and 2011 reviews. All national human rights institutions that hold an ‘A’ status are subject to re-accreditation every five years.
According to Article 14, this review gauges compliance with the Paris Principles, a set of internationally recognised standards which require national human rights institutions to have a broad mandate, have their leadership selected in an inclusive and transparent manner, be independent both in law and practice, have access to sufficient resources and staff, and cooperate with national and international stakeholders.
