SC Issues Notice On PIL For Establishing Human Rights Courts In Every District [Read Petition]

The Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Monday issued notice to the Centre and states on a plea to specify and set up Human Rights Courts for each district across the country, as required under sections 30 and 31 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.

The petition by law student Bhavika Phore also seeks the appointment of special public prosecutors to conduct speedy trial of offence arising out of Human Rights violation, compulsorily within a specified time limit of 3 months.

"...even after passing of more than a quarter of a century, the respondents failed to establish the special Human Rights Courts in each district to conduct speedy trial of offences arising out of violation and abuse of human rights and also appoint a Special Public Prosecutor for the purpose of conducting trial in those Courts. Human Rights in India have been considered deplorable by countries and NGOs throughout the world. The recent India Human Rights Report 2018, which was published by the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018, United States Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor provide a deep reality into the sad state of affairs in India. The said report throws light on various human rights violations such as police brutality, torture and excess custodial and encounters deaths, horrible conditions in prison and detention centres, arbitrary arrests and unlawful detention, denial of fair public trial", the PIL filed through Advocate Manoj V George stated.

Also, it is stated that the Amnesty International Report 2017/18 focuses on India and its deplorable state of Human Rights present in the country. There is also another report by an NGO, "Human Rights Watch" published in January 2018 which provides a country summary on various offences arising in human rights violations such as the Government's treatment of Dalits, Tribal Groups, and Religious Minorities, curbing of Freedom of Expression by Government etc. Many report brings to light a really shocking fact about custodial deaths in India in the past years, referring to abuse of power and unfathomable torture undergone by individuals due to police excess in India.

Further, from 2001 to 2010, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recorded that 14,231 died in police and judicial custody in India. This includes 1,504 deaths in police custody and 12,727 deaths in judicial custody from 2001-2002 to 2009-2010, and a large majority of these deaths being a direct consequence of torture in custody.

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