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Question 30 of 60 · Constitutional & Statutory Bodies
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The National Human Rights Commission and the State Human Rights Commissions are:

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Answer: Option C — Statutory bodies

Detailed Solution

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the State Human Rights Commissions (SHRCs) are statutory bodies, set up under a law of Parliament, the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.

Meaning of a statutory body:

  • A statutory body is created by an Act of Parliament or a state legislature.
  • It is different from a constitutional body, which is created directly by the Constitution, such as the Union Public Service Commission.

Why human rights commissions were set up:

  • To protect human rights better, as part of India's commitment to international human rights standards.
  • To provide a forum where people can complain about violations of human rights by public servants.
  • The idea was supported by the Paris Principles adopted by the United Nations in the early 1990s.

Composition of the NHRC:

  • A Chairperson, who has been a Chief Justice of India or a judge of the Supreme Court.
  • Members, including judges and persons with knowledge of human rights.

Ex officio members, including the chairpersons of several national commissions, such as those for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Women, Minorities and Backward Classes, and the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities.

Functions of the NHRC:

  • To inquire into violations of human rights by public servants, or negligence in preventing them.
  • To visit jails and detention centres to study living conditions.
  • To review laws and constitutional safeguards for the protection of human rights.
  • To promote research and awareness on human rights.

Limitations:

  • Its recommendations are not binding on the government.
  • It cannot inquire into matters more than one year old.
  • It has limited powers over the armed forces.

State Human Rights Commissions:

  • They are set up by state governments under the same Act.
  • They deal with violations relating to subjects in the State List and the Concurrent List.

Human Rights Courts:

The Act also provides for Human Rights Courts in every district for speedy trial of human rights violations.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗They are not set up by executive resolution or as NGOs.
  • ✗Good to know
  • ✗They are not created by the Constitution.

Quick tip

Remember: NHRC and SHRCs = statutory bodies under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.

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Constitutional & Statutory Bodies — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Constitutional & Statutory Bodies, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers bodies set up under the Constitution, such as the Election Commission, UPSC, Finance Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General and the national commissions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and statutory or executive bodies such as NITI Aayog, the NHRC, the CVC, the CBI and Lokpal. Questions often ask whether a body is constitutional or not, which article creates it, who appoints its head and for how long. For example, the CAG is appointed under Article 148, the Finance Commission under Article 280, and NITI Aayog replaced the Planning Commission in 2015 by an executive resolution. Practise the constitutional and statutory bodies questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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