CHAPTER 1 1.1 This is the fifteenth Annual Report of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). It covers the period from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008. 1.2 The fourteenth Annual Report of the Commission, for the period 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007, was submitted to the Central Government on 20 September 2007 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 in September 2006. 1.3 Accordingly, the fourteenth Annual Report of the Commission was tabled in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on 26 February 2009 along with the Memorandum of Action Taken Report. The Commission has also forwarded copies of the fourteenth Annual Report to all the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations as required under Section 20(2) of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, for tabling it in their concerned Legislatures, along with a Memorandum of Action Taken or proposed to be taken on the recommendations of the Commission and the reasons for non-compliance of the recommendations, if any. 1.4 The year under review witnessed changes at the helm of the Commission. Justice Shri S. Rajendra Babu, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India, assumed office as the fifth Chairperson of the Commission on 2 April 2007. The year also saw the departure of Dr. Justice Shivaraj V. Patil, Member, who prematurely demitted office on 4 February 2008. Justice Shri Y. Bhaskar Rao, Shri R.S. Kalha and Shri P.C. Sharma continued to serve as Members of the Commission. 1.5 As regards deemed Members of the Commission, under Section 3(3) of its statute, Shri Mohamed Shafi Qureshi assumed duties on 3 September 2007 as Chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities; Dr. Buta Singh assumed office as Chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes on 25 May 2007; and Smt. Urmila Singh assumed office on 18 June 2007 as Chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes. Dr. Girija Vyas continued to serve as Chairperson of the National Commission for Women. 1.6 Shri Akhil Kumar Jain, IAS (WB:73) succeeded Shri Ravi Kamal Bhargava, IAS (MH:72) as Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission on 30 November 2007 upon the National Human Rights Commission 1