HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION CASES Chapter - 4 A. Number and Nature of Complaints 4.1 One of the most important functions of NHRC is to inquire suo motu or on a petition presented to it by a victim or any person on his/her behalf or on a direction or order of any court, into complaint of violation of human rights or abetment thereof; or negligence in the prevention of such violation, by a public servant. The Commission has devised a simple procedure for receiving and dealing with complaints. A complaint can be filed in the NHRC either by post or via phone or in person. As a part of Human Rights Day celebrations on 10 December 2008, the system of filing of complaints in electronic format was also introduced in the Commission. The NHRC does not charge any fee from people for filing of complaints. 4.2 During the year under review, the NHRC had a total of 1, 20,595 cases for examination. Out of these, 29,649 cases (Annexure-1) were those which had been brought forward from the preceding years. The number of fresh cases registered were 90, 946 (Annexure-2). It disposed off 1, 03,996 cases (Annexure-3). 4.3 Of the fresh cases that were registered during the year under review, 89,109 cases were complaints of alleged human rights violations, 1,660 cases were intimations of custodial deaths, and 132 related to police encounters. As per guidelines issued by the Commission, every death in police and judicial custody is to be reported to it within 24 hours for enquiry from the perspective of human rights angle irrespective of the fact whether such a death has taken place in natural circumstances or otherwise. Of the custodial deaths that were reported during 20082009, six deaths had allegedly taken place in the custody of defence / para-military forces, 127 deaths in police custody and 1,527 deaths in judicial custody. Most of the deaths in judicial custody had resulted either from illness or old age. 4.4 In comparison to number of cases registered in the Commission during 2007-2008, the number of cases registered during 2008-2009 showed a relative decline. The main reason for this could be mainly attributed to the strengthening and upgradation of the Complaint Management System (CMS) in the NHRC which has streamlined the entire process of complaint registration. The other factor for this could be the openingup of State Human Rights Commissions in other States/Union Territories. Despite these positive developments, as in the preceding years, the largest number of complaints registered was from the State of Uttar Pradesh — 53,492. The NCT of Delhi came next with 5,433 cases. 25