Chapter - 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 This is the seventeenth Annual Report of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). It covers the period from 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010. 1.2 The sixteenth Annual Report of the Commission, for the period 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009, was submi�ed to the Central Government on 21 December 2010 for preparing the Memorandum of Action Taken and placing the same before each House of Parliament in consonance with the procedure envisaged under Section 20 (2) of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 and its amendment thereby in September 2006 (PHRA). 1.3 During the period under review, Justice Shri S. Rajendra Babu, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India, continued to hold the office as its fi�h Chairperson till 31 May 2009. He had assumed office in NHRC on 2 April 2007. On completion of the tenure of Justice Shri S. Rajendra Babu as the Chairperson of NHRC, Justice Shri G.P. Mathur, Member, NHRC was authorized to function as the Acting Chairperson of the Commission with effect from 1 June 2009 till the time the President of India appointed a new Chairperson. Justice Shri B.C. Patel, Shri Satyabrata Pal and Shri P.C. Sharma continued to work as Members of NHRC during 2009-2010. 1.4 Dr. Girija Vyas, Chairperson of the National Commission for Women; Shri Mohammad Shafi Qureshi, Chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities; Dr. Buta Singh, Chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Smt. Urmila Singh, Chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, continued to be deemed Members of the NHRC in accordance with Section 3 (3) of the PHRA, for discharge of functions specified in clauses (b) to (j) of Section 12 of the PHRA. 1.5 Shri Akhil Kumar Jain, IAS (WB:73) continued to function as the Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer of NHRC till he retired on 31 December 2009. He was succeeded by Shri Kuriamplackal Sankar Money, IAS (RJ:76) on 15 February 2010. Shri Sunil Krishna, IPS (UP:73) continued to serve as Director General (Investigation) and Shri A.K. Garg as Registrar (Law) in the NHRC. Prior to joining of the new Secretary-General in the Commission, Shri J.P. Meena, IAS (AM:83) assumed office as Joint Secretary (Programme &Administration) on 3 August 2009. Shri Michael V. Sirimony, IAS (KL:82), on deputation to NHRC as Joint Secretary (Traning), completed his tenure on 11 December 2009 to join Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. NHRC 1