A resolution commemorating the life of Indian human rights defender Father Stan Swamy and seeking an independent investigation into the death of the Jesuit priest has been introduced in the US Congress, Congressman Juan Vargas has said.
The United States and Israel voted against the resolution while Brazil, Japan, Myanmar and France were among those that abstained.
The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the President to take a decision on a complaint filed before her against the National Human Rights Commission Chairman and former Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan regarding his alleged misconduct during his tenure as a judge in the apex court.The apex court refused to direct the Centre to recommend a Presidential reference for the removal of Balakrishnan as the chairman of the NHRC.
An NGO, seeking removal of former Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan as the National Human Rights Commission chairman for his alleged misconduct, on Monday told the Supreme Court that a key document of the Centre on probe into disproportionate assets against him and his kins has gone "missing" from the apex court files.
With the income tax department alleging former Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan's kin possess black money, ex-CJI J S Verma on Sunday demanded that Balakrishnan should quit as National Human Rights Commission chief and if he does not, President Pratibha Patil should intervene to get him removed from the post.
A fresh petition seeking a probe into alleged amassing of wealth by relatives of former chief justice of India and National Human Rights Commission Chairman K G Balakrishnan has been posted for Friday by a special judge.An earlier petition filed by George Vattukulam, state president of Kerala Malayala Vedi (forum), came up before the court on Friday, which rejected it on technical grounds as there was no spare copy of the petition.
India was elected last year and its term ends in 2010, but it would be eligible for re-election. Most members, including Pakistan and Bahrain, were elected despite opposition from the human rights groups who said that their record had been dismal.
Adding to the woes of former Chief Justice of India and National Human Rights Commission chairman K G Balakrishnan, the Kerala government set in motion the process of vigilance probe against his son-in-law on a complaint of amassing wealth while Balakrishnan's younger brother and government pleader in Kerala High Court K G Bhaskaran went on medical leave in the wake of similar allegations against him.
Eight supporters of the Communist Party of India-Marxist were arrested on Thursday from Tekhali Bazar in Nandigram as three companies of Central Reserve Police Force patrolled the area to maintain peace. A six-member team of the National Human Rights Commission is slated to visit the troubled area today to chalk out remedial measures. Meanwhile, district Congress secretary and BUPC member Milan Pradhan alleged that two supporters of the BUPC were beaten up by CPM supporters.
Taking suo motu cognisance of a newspaper report, the rights panel also sought a report from the AIIMS director within a week.
"They cry victim when they actually are the perpetrators," she said, rejected Pakistan's charges against India on the issue at the 42nd session of the UNHRC.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla recognised Rahul Gandhi as the leader of opposition on Wednesday, a day after the Congress communicated its decision to name him for the position to the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
The Supreme Court on Friday asked Attorney General G E Vahanvati to apprise it about the status of a complaint filed in May last year against former chief justice of India and chairman of the National Human Rights Commission K G Balakrishnan, seeking a probe by the CBI into his assets. "What is the status of the complaint forwarded to the ministry of home affairs," a bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia sought to know.
Justice Beevi was admitted to the private hospital a few days ago due to age-related ailments and breathed her last on Thursday afternoon around 12.15 pm, an official source said.
The launch of the first-ever direct train service from Delhi to Kashmir would be a big turning point in the Valley's mood and its integration with India. He had to thwart it at any cost, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
India has expressed concerns over a rise in violence against Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh and Pakistan, reporting 2,200 cases in Bangladesh and 112 in Pakistan this year. The Indian government has urged both countries to take measures to ensure the safety of minorities and has highlighted the issue at international forums. The government has also stated that it is monitoring the situation closely and has shared its concerns with the respective governments.
Supreme Court judge Sanjay Kishan Kaul on Monday recommended setting up of an 'impartial truth and reconciliation commission' to probe and report on human rights violations by both state and non-state actors in Jammu and Kashmir since the 1980s, saying the 'wounds need healing'.
A distinguished jurist and former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, 75-year-old Venkatachaliah was presented the prestigious Padma Vibhushan by President Kalam.
It's time India re-visited its Western alliances for the attitude and approach that the West reserves for the nation when it comes to security cooperation of the kind that they might not have visualised outside of China, India's bug-bear, asserts N Sathiya Moorthy.
An unofficial and brutal justice system exists parallel to the official one, and it executes many times more of the accused than the official one executes convicts, points out Aakar Patel.
The appointment of the retired chief justice of India was cleared by the President on Tuesday.
It asked the Haryana government to submit a report on the case of a village panchayat there allegedly asking a married couple to treat each other as brother and sister.
The Centre has appointed a commission headed by former CJI K G Balakrishnan to examine the matter of giving Scheduled Caste status to new people who claim to "historically" have belonged to the Scheduled Castes but have converted to a religion other than those mentioned in the presidential orders.
The NHRC said that it has received several complaints regarding the ongoing farmers' protest.
Anka Toppo had been selected for admission in the MBBS course at AIIMS in 1989 and was to take his final examinations in 1993 when he developed problems in his eyes and became blind.
India has previously rejected the US state department's annual human rights report on the country, saying they continue to be based on "misinformation and flawed understanding".
The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement (SAD), which led protests against Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has launched itself as a political party called the National Citizen Party (NCP). The new party, which aims to 'dismantle constitutional autocracy' and establish a 'second republic,' has pledged to create a 'solely Bangladesh-oriented' political system, with no room for 'pro-India and pro-Pakistan politics.' The NCP's inaugural rally was attended by representatives of various political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami, and envoys from the Vatican and Pakistan.
While on one hand the nation debates the delay in deciding mercy petition of death row convicts, here is an interesting case from Bihar where the mercy petitions have gone missing. The National Human Rights Commission is seized off a complaint filed by the Asian Centre for Human Rights on this issue.
The apex human rights body in the country said the encounter was a matter of concern and needed to be probed carefully.
The chief adviser alleged elections held under Hasina's regime were "rigged blatantly and generations of young people grew up without exercising their voting rights."
The plea filed by two Rohingya immigrants that they were facing persecution in Myanmar and that the decision to send them back was in violation of various international conventions.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued notices to Kerala Government and Sports Authority of India (SAI) after a young female athlete committed suicide at the SAI hostel in Alapuzha on May 7.
The two women, who had earned their daily bread selling lottery tickets on the streets of Kochi, were allegedly sacrificed by the accused to settle their financial issues and bring prosperity in life, police said.
"You (Centre) will be in trouble if we start hearing this matter and pass some order. We are granting you four weeks to appoint the members. We hope and expect that the process of appointment of members can be concluded in four weeks," the bench said.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to the Union Jal Shakti Ministry, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, after receiving complaints about several bodies found floating in the Ganga river in the two states.
'Is this the message that India wants to send to Kashmir?'