House passes human rights bill amid opposition concern

NEW DELHI: The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019, passed last week by Lok Sabha, was approved by Rajya Sabha on Monday with home minister Amit Shah seeking to allay fears that the government could influence appointments to human rights panels. Shah also said the opposition should not look at every government decision with suspicion.
While the opposition expressed concern that the bill sought to amend the term of office of the chairperson and members of National Human Rights Commission and State Human Rights Commissions from five years to three years, Shah said this was done only to fill up vacancies.
Replying to the debate earlier, Shah's deputy Nityanand Rai called for the opposition to show the same trust in PM Narendra Modi which the world was showing in him. "Modi hai to mumkin hai, Shah hai to siddhi hai,'' Rai said in the presence of Shah.
The bill, passed by Lok Sabha on Friday, provides for reduction in tenure of chairpersons of national and state human rights bodies to three years from the current five years.
The bill, passed by Lok Sabha on Friday, also stipulates that besides a former Chief Justice of India, as is the current requirement, a former Supreme Court judge can also become NHRC chairperson.
"There have been apprehensions that it will be government's committee... or members could be re-appointed after three years," Shah said and pointed out that there was a panel for appointment. "If appointments are viewed with suspicion, then any democratic body cannot function,'' he added.
The bill was taken up in the post-lunch session amid high drama as Congress members threw up pieces of paper in the well of the House as MPs protested over a range of issues including developments in Karnataka and Sonbhadra killings. The House had to be adjourned until 3 pm.
TMC leader Derek O'Brien said it was unfair to expect members to proceed with consideration of amendments at such short notice.
He said members did not get sufficient time to submit amendments to the bill as the draft law was passed by Lok Sabha last week and sent to the House on Friday evening. The deputy chairman said members had time till noon to file their amendments to the bill. Raising a point of order, Congress leader Anand Sharma said members should get at least two days notice to file their amendments to the bill. He said when bills were not being referred to standing committees for scrutiny, members should be given time to submit their amendments to the bill. He said the government was in a tearing hurry to pass the bill and me-mbers' right to move amendments was being violated.