Retired Supreme Court judge Justice V Ramasubramanian has been appointed as the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)..The appointment has been made consequent upon the retirement of Justice Arun Mishra from the post on June 1. NHRC member Vijayabharathi Sayani was serving as the acting chairperson in the interregnum. Justice Ramasubramanian was selected by a panel comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Harivansh Narayan Singh, Loka Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge.The panel also selected Priyank Kanoongo and Justice Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi as members of NHRC. Gandhi and Kharge dissented from the majority and proposed the names of Justice Rohinton Nariman and Justice KM Joseph to be appointed as chairperson. They also proposed the names of Justice S Muralidhar and Justice Akil Kureshi as members of NHRC.In their strongly worded dissent note, the Congress leaders said that the process adopted was flawed since the selection was reduced to a pre-determined exercise ignoring mutual consultation and consensus. .Justice Ramasubramanian completed law from Madras Law College and enrolled as a member of the bar on February 16, 1983. He practiced for about 23 years before the Madras High Court. He was appointed as an additional judge of the Madras High Court on July 31, 2006 and as a permanent judge on November 9, 2009.He was transferred on his own request to the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad with effect from April 27, 2016. After the bifurcation of the two States, he was retained as a judge of the Telangana High Court from January 1, 2019. He served as Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court from June 22, 2019, until he was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court on September 23, 2019.He demitted office on June 29, 2023..The NHRC was established on 12 October 1993, under the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993, which was later amended by the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Act, 2006.The NHRC operates in accordance with the Paris Principles adopted at the first international workshop on national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights in Paris in October 1991 and subsequently endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 48/134 on 20 December 1993.The NHRC represents India's commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights.
