NHRC concludes three-day `Open Hearing & Camp sitting’ in UP

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : The National Human Rights Commission ( NHRC) concluded its three- day ‘Open Hearing and Camp Sitting’ at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP), after discussions with senior officers of the state government on August 11, 2017.

On August 9, 2017, in the ‘Open Hearing’ on the complaints of atrocities against the persons belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes, the Commission took up 171 cases. These were heard by four bench by Members:  Justice P C Ghose, Justice D Murugesan, S C Sinha and Ms Jyotika Kalra. Fortytwo cases were closed after consideration of reports. In six cases, the NHRC  issued notices to the UP on account of delay in registration of First Information Reports.  In some cases, monetary relief of Rs 2,47,500 admissible under the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes (Protection of Atrocities) Act was paid after intervention by the Commission. In other cases, further reports or comments of the complainants on the reports sent by the government authorities have been called for, according to an NHRC release.

On August 10, 2017, in the Camp Sitting, the Full Commission took up 16 important cases.  They included the cases of missing children, deaths in jail, delay in registration of FIRs, denial of treatment to mentally ill patients from Uttarakhand at the mental hospitals in UP. During the sittings of the two Division Bench, 67 cases were considered. In five cases, monetary relief of Rs 21 lakh was recommended. Twentyfive cases were closed on receipt of proof of payment of Rs 93,00,000 to the next of kin of deceased persons. In 15 cases, sanction of monetary relief amounting to Rs. 64, 50,000 was received. Seven of these cases were closed in the light of the assurance given by the Home Secretary for expeditious release of payment. In other cases, further reports have been called for, according to the NHRC release.

After the disposal of the cases in the ‘Open Hearing and Camp Sitting’, the Commission held an interaction with the NGOs. They raised a gamut of issues of human rights violations concerning, among others, destitute/disabled women and children on roads, mentally sick persons on road, denial of admission to children on ground of disability, victims of human trafficking being sent to jails as accused and not to Reform Homes, absence of psychiatrists/psychologists in various district hospitals, Death in sewage, non-payment of salary to manual scavengers and absence of scheme for compensation.

This meeting was followed by discussions with the Chief Secretary, DGP, DMs, SPs and other senior civil, police and jail officers of the state. During the discussions issues raised by the NGOs were also taken up. The Commission particularly expressed its concern over the delay in registration of FIRs, Non-registration of FIRs in cases involving atrocities on Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes in violation of section 4 of the Act. It was pointed out to the police officers that non registration of an FIR in a case involving sexual exploitation of a woman attracted section 166 A of IPC, according to the release.

The Commission was equally concerned about the issues of arsenic poising in some districts of the state, death due to Japanese encephalitis, manual scavenging, denial of basic amenities including ration cards, houses, drinking water and electricity in certain blocks of Chandauli district inhabited by Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The State Government assured the Commission that it would look into the issues pointed out by it.