XV. STATE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONS AND HUMAN RIGHTS COURTS In its report of the previous year, the Commission had emphasized the need for human 15.1 rights mechanisms at the State level and at levels even below the State, in order to ensure quick redressal of complaints. The Commission had focussed, in this connection, on the necessity for the early constitution of State Human Rights Commissions in all of the States. 15.2 By the end of the year 1997-98, State Commissions had been set up in West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir. During the year under review, Manipur and Kerala also established State Commissions, the Chairperson and Members of the former being appointed on 31 July 1998 and of the latter on 11 December 1998. 15.3 In response to the Chairperson's letter dated 5 October 1998 to all States which have not yet constituted State Human Rights Commissions, Gujarat and Rajasthan have announced their intention of setting up such Commissions in the near future.The States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Sikkim have, additionally, reported that they are actively considering the issue. The Government of Bihar, on 26 February 1999, informed the Commission that they had taken the initial steps to setup a State Human Rights Commission. 15.4 A communication has, however, been received from the Government of Haryana in which it has been stated that the State Government has, after careful consideration, decided that there was no need to set up a Human Rights Commission in that State. In a similar communication, the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi has expressed the view that a separate State Human Rights Commission for Delhi has not been considered necessary as the National Human Rights Commission is already carrying out the functions that would be performed by a state-level Commission and it might not be obligatory, in legal terms, to set up such a Commission. It was further stated that a Human Rights Cell for Delhi has already been established wherein matters pertaining to the establishment of Human Rights Courts are under consideration. 15.5 While noting the stand taken by the Delhi Government, the Commission has asked it to reconsider its position. In doing so, the Commission has brought to the attention of the Deihi Government the fact that, while the Commission received 1485 complaints of human rights violations from Delhi in 1996-97, the number rose to 2190 in 1997-98, and to 2410 in 1998-99. This makes Delhi the third highest amongst the States in respect of complaints received. Though Delhi constitutes just about one per cent of the population of the country, it accounted for nearly six percent of the total complaints received by the Commission during the year.