INTRODUCTION Chapter -1 1.1 This is the sixteenth Annual Report of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). It covers the period from 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009. 1.2 The fifteenth Annual Report of the Commission, for the period 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008, was submitted to the Central Government on 27 August 2009 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. 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 fifth Chairperson. He had assumed office in NHRC on 2 April 2007. Justice Shri G.P. Mathur and Justice Shri B.C. Patel joined the Commission as Members on 15 April and 23 July 2008. The year saw the departure of three Members, namely, Justice Shri Y. Bhaskar Rao, Shri R. S. Kalha and Shri P.C. Sharma who demitted office after completing their 5-year term in the Commission. The former two Members completed their tenure on 25 June and 11 September 2008 whereas the latter on 2 March 2009 respectively. On 2 March 2009, Shri Satyabrata Pal, assumed office as a new Member in the Commission. A 1972 batch Indian Foreign Service Officer, Shri Pal was the High Commissioner to South Africa and Pakistan prior to joining the NHRC. On 25 March 2009, the Commission regained its full strength once again as Shri P.C.Sharma was re-appointed as a Member of the Commission for another term. 1.4 In accordance with Section 3 (3) of the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), Dr. Girija Vyas, Chairperson of the National Commission for Women; Shri Mohammed Shafi Quershi, 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 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 serve as the Secretary-General and the Chief Executive Officer of the Commission during the period under review, while Shri Sunil Krishna, IPS (UP:73) succeeded Shri Damodar Sarangi, IPS (WB:72) as Director General 9