BENGALURU: India is witnessing “very serious reversals” in civil and political rights, former Amnesty International secretary-general and activist Salil Shetty said.
He was speaking at a public dialogue on human rights held here on Tuesday, where speakers, including Law Commission of Karnataka Chairman Justice Ashok B Hinchigeri, pointed out widening socioeconomic inequalities and weakening accountability across state institutions. The event was organised by the Universal School of Law on the topic ‘Why India Ranks High on GDP but Low on Human Rights?’
According to Justice Hinchigeri, a cause for lack of enforceability of human rights is that wealth concentration remains a defining challenge, as he noted research that “the top 1% now own about 40% of India’s wealth.” He identified low public spending on health and education as another fundamental factor, stressing that such expenditure “is not to be treated as an expenditure but an investment into people.”
He identified overpopulation, deep-rooted caste and communal divisions, and corruption as additional barriers to achieving human rights. Citing the Justice Vineet Narain ruling, he said the Supreme Court has recognised the “right to a corruption-free government” as part of human rights.
Urging for a distinction between democracy and mere electoralism, Shetty said, “Despite macroeconomic growth, the state apparatus suffers from capacity deficits.” He criticised the central government for “data manufacturing” and emphasised that the “central tenet of human rights protection is accountability”.