NHRC Explained: Powers, Functions and 2026 Updates

Imagine a family whose relative is injured in police custody. They want an independent body to look into it, and they do not know where to turn. Courts are one route, but India also has a special watchdog for such cases: the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

What is the NHRC?

The NHRC is India's statutory human rights watchdog. It was set up on 12 October 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, and works from New Delhi. It inquires into human rights violations, reviews legal safeguards, and promotes awareness. Its motto is "Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah," meaning "May all be happy."

Because an Act of Parliament created it, the NHRC is a statutory body, not a constitutional one. This is one of the most repeated facts in polity questions.

Why was it created?

The UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948. In 1991, a workshop in Paris drew up the Paris Principles, which set standards for national human rights institutions. The UN endorsed them in 1993, the same year India set up the NHRC. The 1993 Act also provides for State Human Rights Commissions and Human Rights Courts.

Who sits on the Commission?

The NHRC has one chairperson, five full-time members, and seven deemed members.

• Chairperson: a former Chief Justice of India or a former Supreme Court judge (this widening came with the 2019 amendment).
• Judicial members: one Supreme Court judge and one High Court Chief Justice, serving or former.
• Human rights experts: three people with knowledge or practical experience of human rights, at least one of them a woman.
• Deemed members: chairpersons of the national commissions for minorities, SCs, STs, women, backward classes, and child rights, plus the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities.

The President appoints them on the recommendation of a committee headed by the Prime Minister, with the Lok Sabha Speaker, Home Minister, both Leaders of Opposition, and the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman as members. The Chief Justice of India is not on this committee. The term is three years or age 70, whichever comes first, and reappointment is allowed.

What can the NHRC do?

Section 12 of the Act lists its main functions. The Commission can:

1. Inquire into violations, or negligence in preventing them, by a public servant, on a petition or on its own (suo motu).
2. Intervene in court cases involving such allegations, with the court's approval.
3. Visit jails and other places of detention to study living conditions.
4. Review constitutional and legal safeguards.
5. Study international human rights treaties.
6. Promote research and human rights literacy.
7. Encourage the work of NGOs.

During an inquiry it has the powers of a civil court, such as summoning witnesses and demanding documents. Afterwards, it can recommend compensation, prosecution, or interim relief, or approach the Supreme Court or a High Court.

Limits of the NHRC

• Its recommendations are advisory. The government must reply, generally within one month, but need not accept them.
• It generally cannot inquire into matters more than one year old or matters already pending before a State Commission.
• For the armed forces, it can only seek a report from the Central Government.
• Anonymous complaints are not entertained.

2026 updates

Justice V. Ramasubramanian, a retired Supreme Court judge, has led the Commission since December 2024. The NHRC marked its 33rd Foundation Day on 12 October 2026. A final decision by GANHRI on the Commission's accreditation grade is due in November 2026, after its subcommittee recommended in March 2025 that the grade be lowered from "A" to "B" over concerns about independence and appointment transparency.

How to file a complaint

Anyone can complain, with no fee and no lawyer. Use the portal hrcnet.nic.in or post it to the NHRC office at Manav Adhikar Bhawan, Block-C, GPO Complex, INA, New Delhi 110023. Keep your registration number to track the case.

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