"Selection Process Flawed": Congress On Appointment Of Rights Panel Chief

A day after President Droupadi Murmu appointed former Supreme Court judge Justice V Ramasubramanian as National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairperson, the main opposition Congress issued a dissent note today and said the selection process was "fundamentally flawed".

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, and his Rajya Sabha counterpart Mallikarjun Kharge have recorded their dissent "without prejudice to the names of the Chairperson and members approved by the Selection Committee".

The two leaders have said the selection committee meeting took place on Wednesday. "It was a pre-determined exercise that ignored the established tradition of mutual consultation and consensus, which is essential in such matters. This departure undermines the principles of fairness and impartiality, which are critical to the credibility of the Selection Committee. Instead of fostering deliberation and ensuring a collective decision, the Committee relied on its numerical majority to finalise the names, disregarding the legitimate concerns and perspectives raised during the meeting," they said in the dissent note.