The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : Cases piling up with rights panel

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Monday, Sep 10, 2007
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Cases piling up with rights panel

Staff Reporter

Lack of manpower hits the commission’s working hard

Highest number of 1,388 cases filed against
the police
Government urged to appoint rapporteurs

BHUBANESWAR: It has been four years since the establishment of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), yet scores of complaints have been piled up against the police administration for its alleged “high handedness” in dealing with public matters.

A status report on cases brought to the notice of the SHRC says that the highest number of 1,388 cases have been filed against the police administration dwarfing the alleged human rights violations in other fields. The SHRC received some 5,185 complaints and had taken suo motu cognizance of 434 incidents, which came to total of 5,619 cases. However, the commission has failed to dispose less than 50 percent of the cases so far.

About 3,029 cases were pending with the human rights body at various stages of investigation.

After alleged police high handedness, the State Government employees seemed to be aggrieved due to violation of their rights in the administration for which they had served for years.

Pending cases

About 721 cases in service matters are pending with the SHRC and more employees in service and after retirement are now making beeline before the body.

As regards to child torture case, only 43 cases were brought to the notice of SHRC during the last four years. Though crumbling health infrastructure in all rural pockets of Orissa was major issue, only 43 cases on health were filed before the body. Ironically, only 13 cases pertaining to human rights violation on the issue of pollution were filed in SHRC. Meanwhile, the SHRC is in process of scrutinizing 960 cases and sent queries to administration in 1,582 cases. Petitioners were asked to present their sides in 874 cases. Similarly, about 166 cases are in pending.

“The State government gives little importance to human rights issues.

It has been one month now since the first SHRC Chairman retired from the post but there has been no replacement so far,” Human rights activist Biswapriya Kanungo said. State government recently handed over the charge of SHRC Chairman to one member S. M. Patnaik till new chairman took over.

Lack of manpower to investigate into the ever-increasing human rights violation cases handicaps the commission.

Sources said the SHRC urged the State government to appoint rapporteurs and programme officers for speedy disposal of cases.

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