CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Monday set September 23 as fresh deadline for the State Government to fill up the post of Chairman of Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC).
The division bench of Chief Justice KS Jhaveri and Justice KR Mohapatra set the fresh deadline after the State Government filed an affidavit seeking more time to fill up the post. The recent amendment to Protection of Human Rights Act by the Central Government was also referred to in the oral submission by the State counsel.
The provision relating to appointment as Chairperson of State Human Rights Commission after amendment made former High Court judges also eligible for the post. Before amendment, only a former Chief Justice of a High Court was eligible.
Earlier on July 22, the court had set August 5 as the deadline and warned that it would pass an order appointing a chairman if the State Government fails to fill up the post by then.The State Government then filed an affidavit stating that necessary process has been initiated for the filling up of the post of chairperson on a regular basis in the OHRC. The matter is under active consideration of the Government, the affidavit said while seeking one more month to fill up the post of chairman.
The PIL petitions filed by Bhubaneswar-based advocate and human rights activist Prabir Das in 2013 and Cuttack-based lawyer Shivsankar Mohanty in 2017 was taken up for analogous hearing by the court.
The post of Chairperson of OHRC has remained vacant since November 23, 2012. Justice Raghubir Dash, a member, has been officiating as the Commission’s acting Chairman since May 16, 2019.
The petitions contended that the State Government’s apathy in filling up the vacancy in OHRC was a matter of concern as disposal of complaints of human rights violations were affected due to it.