By IANS,
New Delhi: Former chief justice K.G. Balakrishnan is tipped to head the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and a decision on the matter is likely to be taken very soon, a cabinet minister said Wednesday.
The post of NHRC chairman is vacant since May 2009 after Justice S. Rajendra Babu demitted office. Only a former chief justice of India can occupy the post.
Soon after the swearing-in ceremony of new Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia Wednesday, the minister, who did not want to be named, said that the decision to make Justice Balakrishnan the next NHRC chief would be taken very soon.
On being asked how soon the decision is likely to be taken, the minister said that the matter was being looked into by the home ministry and he was not aware of the movement of the file related to the matter.
Justice Balakrishnan was asked Tuesday if he was likely to head the NHRC in his next assignment but he said: “I have not been contacted.”
In response to a petition by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), the Supreme Court had last year sought the central government’s explanation on why the NHRC chief’s post was vacant.