Overview
- A bench led by Justice Vikram Nath declined to entertain the public-interest petition on Friday and permitted the petitioner to withdraw the plea with liberty to approach the appropriate high courts.
- The petition, filed by advocate Aviral Saxena, said the Uttar Pradesh Human Rights Commission has lacked a chair since June 4, 2024, and argued prolonged appointment delays were impairing the commission’s work.
- The plea asked the court to order speedy filling of chair and member posts and to frame a uniform standard operating procedure so selection processes start well before vacancies arise.
- The Supreme Court questioned the petition’s maintainability under Article 32 and directed the petitioner to pursue remedies before state high courts, so the apex court did not decide the merits.
- State human rights commissions are statutory bodies under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, and unresolved vacancies can limit their ability to investigate abuses and provide remedies to victims.