Andhra Pradesh asked to appoint SHRC chairperson, members

HYDERABAD Mar 24 : A division bench of Hyderabad High Court on Thursday issued notices to the Andhra Pradesh government for filing counter affidavit in the case filed seeking reconstitution of Human Rights Commission for AP state or to appoint chairman and members to the existing body.The bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice Shameem Akther was dealing with a petition filed by AP Civil Liberties Association, represented by its general secretary Potturi Suresh Kumar. 

The petitioner's counsel submitted that since August 2015 the secretary of SHRC is looking after the cases under delegation of powers and functions of the commission. Thousands of complaints from the citizens were being filed before the commission for redressal of their grievances. Unless and until the chairman and members are not appointed, the very purpose of establishing the commission would not be achieved. The citizens need a forum to complain about the violations of human rights by the state and its organs. Being a statutory body the government is duty bound to make appointments to the said posts. Failure to fill the said vacancies is violation of Supreme Court judgment in D K Basu vs State of West Bengal case, he argued.

Taking these submissions into consideration, the bench issued notice to the government authorities for filing counter and posted the matter to April 13 for further hearing.