Headless TSHRC: Telangana HC asks govt to specify timeframe when chairman, members will be appointed

Hyderabad: Telangana High Court has asked the state government to specify the timeframe when the chairperson and members of Telangana State Human Rights Commission (TSHRC) will be appointed.

TSHRC has been dysfunctional since December 22, 2022, as the chairperson and members have not been appointed.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice N.V. Shravan Kumar on Tuesday directed the government to apprise the court by which date the chairperson and members will be appointed

The court was adjudicating the PIL filed by Adnan Mahmood, advocate from Secunderabad, seeking directions to the Telangana government to fill up the vacancy of the chairperson and members of the TSHRC under section 22 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 as amended by Act. No. 19 of 2019.

The court recorded the content of the communication sent by the Chief Secretary through Harender Prasad, a special government pleader.

The Chief Secretary’s communique said the government has commenced the process of appointing the Chairperson and Members to the HRC. In this regard, four applications have been received for the post of chairperson, and 10 and 64 applications, respectively have been received for the post of member judicial as well as member non-judicial. The applications have to be screened and a decision has to be taken for the final appointment by the Committee.

The Committee, which has to take a final call after the screening, comprises the Chief Minister, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Leader of the opposition party, the Incharge Minister, the Ministry of Cooperation, and the Minister for the Home Department.

Harender Prasad sought four weeks to apprise the Court on the status of the appointments, which was vehemently opposed by the counsel for the petitioner.

The Counsel for the petitioner, while opposing the request of the state informed the Court that the posts in the TSHRC has been vacant for the last ten months and the government is again seeking time to inform the status of the appointments.

Further, the Counsel informed the Court that the State is seeking four weeks and later it will cite the Election Code, delimitation works, etc., which will further delay the appointments.

Chief Justice said: “What if human rights are violated in this interregnum.. the State should fix a time frame for making such appointments”.

The court granted two weeks to the state, directing it to apprise the Court, of the latest development on the appointment of the chairperson and members.