NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1996-97 I INTRODUCTION 1.1 This report of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) covers the period 1 April 1996 to 51 March 1997. It is the fourth such report of the Commission. The preceding report dealing with the period 1 April 1995 to 31 March 7996, was submitted to :he Central Government on 21. June 1996. It was, thereafter, placed before each House of Parliament on 10 September 1896, in accordance with Section 20 of the Protection of Human Rights Act 1993. The year under review witnessed change at the helm of the Commission. Its first Chairperson, Shri Justice Ranganath Misra, retired on 25 November 1996 upon attaining the age of seventy years, as envisaged in Section 6(2) of the Statute of the Commission. HEwas succeeded by Shri Justice Manepalli Narayanarao Venkatachaliah, who assumed the office of Chairperson on 26 November 1996. The Statute of the Commission, urder Section 3(2) (a), requires that the Chairperson should have been a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India. Shri Justice Venkatachaliah served in that illustrious rapacity from February 1993 to 02tober. 1994. 1.2 1.3 The year also witnessed the departure of two Members of the Commission. On 24 January 1997, Kumari Justice Fathima Beevi and Shri Justice Sukhdev Singh Kang were appointed by the President to serve as Governors of the States of Tamil Nadu and Kerala respectively. As of the time of writing this report, the vacancies resulting from their dep~rturewere yet to be filled. Shri Virendra Dayal and Shri Justice V.S.Malirnath continued to senre as Members of the Commission. As regards those deemed to be Members of the Commission under Section 3(3) of its Statufe, Shri H.Hanumanthappa and Smt. V-Mohini Giri continued to serve in such capacity, being the Chairpersons of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the National Commission for Women respectively. Further, on being appointed Chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities on 26 November 1996, Prof. (Dr.) Tahir Mahmood was deemed to be a Member of the National Human Rights Commission.