ERODE: National Human Rights Commission has issued an order barring anyone from using name and emblem similar to NHRC or SHRC, Superintendent of Police T Jayachandran has said.
He told Express on Monday that the NHRC registrar has issued a circular in this regard to the government which inturn sent the circular to all district police office to act as per the order.
“As per the order, which cites the Emblem and Names (prevention of improper use) Act 1950, using similar names of NHRC and SHRC is a punishable offence. The order indicates that using the words ‘human rights’ itself is not appropriate for an NGO, unless and until they are coming under the National/State Human Rights Commission (NHRC/SHRC),” he said. Many outfits, which registered under the Societies Act, function in the name of protecting human rights in the district. Though they are registered organisations as per law, the NHRC order indicates that they should not use the names similar to the names used by it.
So, he has directed the police to study such organisations, which carry names with ‘human rights’. There are some complaints that some outfits used the name to visit police stations and indulge in kattapanchayats.