Step in where needed, not in other's domain: SC to NHRC

The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has no authority to put in place a mechanism for a parallel supervision of elections, criticising the statutory body for not stepping in where there are serious complaints of rights violation but pressing for its power to appoint observers during the 2023 panchayat elections in West Bengal.

- Utkarsh Anand

NHRC is currently headed by former Supreme Court judge Arun Kumar Mishra.

According to a bench led by justice BV Nagarathna, NHRC cannot become the "super Election Commission of India" even as the rights body has been shying away from taking note of various other relevant events where it should exercise its jurisdiction.

"We will appreciate it if it (NHRC) steps in where it is required...not threatening to enter into someone else's jurisdiction. In India there are many areas where NHRC should intervene. It is not doing that but it is doing it in some other places and trying to enter into someone else's jurisdiction...NHRC will become the super ECI?" asked the bench, which also included justice Ujjal Bhuyan.