Human Rights (Amendment) Act, 2006

The Parliament has passed the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Act, 2006. The main amendments carried out in the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, relate to the following issues:

1. Reducing the number of members of State Human Rights Commissions (SHRCs) from five to three
2. Changing the eligibility condition for appointment of member of SHRCs
3. Strengthening the investigative machinery available with Human Rights Commissions
4. Empowering the Commissions to recommend award of compensation, etc. even during the course of enquiry
5. Empowering the NHRC to undertake visits to jails even without intimation to the state governments
6. Strengthening the procedure for recording of evidence of witnesses
7. Clarifying that the Chairpersons of NHRC and SHRCs are distinct from the Members of the respective Commission
8. Enabling the NHRC to transfer complaints received by it to the concerned SHRC
9. Enabling the Chairperson and members of the NHRC to address their resignations in writing to the President and the Chairperson and members of the SHRCs to the Governor of the state concerned
10. Clarifying that the absence of any member in the Selection Committee for selection of the Chairperson and member of the NHRC or the SHRCs will not vitiate the decisions taken by such Committees
11. Providing that the Chairperson of the National Commission for the Scheduled Castes and the Chairperson of the National Commission for the Scheduled Tribes shall be deemed to be members of the NHRC
12. Enabling the Central Government to notify future international covenants and conventions to which the Act would be applicable