National Human Rights Commission (Nepal)

Last updated
National Human Rights Commission
Formation2000
Type Governmental organization
Location
  • Harihar Bhawan, Pulchowk, Lalitpur, Nepal
Website www.nhrcnepal.org

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Nepal is an independent and autonomous constitutional body. It was established in the year 2000 as a statutory body under the Human Rights Commission Act 1997 (2053 BS). The Interim Constitution of Nepal 2007 (2063 BS) made the NHRC a constitutional body. It has a separate sphere of responsibilities in the constitutional legal system of the country. These responsibilities complement the responsibilities of the normal machinery of the administration of Justice, the Supreme Court, the Office of the Attorney General, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, and other existing executive, quasi-judicial or judicial bodies of Nepal.

The Commission was created in response to a 1991 UN-sponsored meeting of representatives of national institutions held in Paris, which laid down a detailed set of principles on the status of national institutions commonly known as the Paris Principles. These principles, subsequently endorsed by the UN Commission on Human Rights (Resolution 1992/54 of 3 March 1992) and the UN General Assembly (Resolution 48/134 of 20 December 1993, annex) have become the foundation and reference point for the establishment and operation of the National Human Rights Commission of Nepal as well.

The establishment and constitution of the Commission complies with the minimum standards set out in the 'Paris Principles'. To name a few, they are independence guaranteed by statute or constitution; autonomy from executive, pluralism, including in membership; a broad mandate based on universal human rights standards; and adequate powers of investigation. Article 132 of the Interim Constitution of Nepal vests primary responsibility in the Commission to protect and promote the human rights of Nepalese people. In order to perform this responsibility, the Commission can conduct inquiries and investigations, on its own or upon a petition or complaint files to it on violation of human rights and abetment thereon, and carelessness and negligence in the prevention of violations of the human rights by any person, organization or authority concerned. It can also inquire into a matter with the permission of the court in respect of any claim on violations of human rights, which is sub-judice in the court. The Commission can visit and observe any authority, jail or any organization under the Government of Nepal and to submit necessary recommendations to it on the reform to be made on the functions, procedures and physical facilities which may be made necessary for such an organization for the protection of human rights.

Apart from these powers, the Constitution maintains that the Commission may review the provisions on safeguards provided by the Constitution and other prevailing law for the enforcement of human rights and submit necessary recommendations for the effective implementation of such provisions. The power encompasses the study of international treaties and instruments on human rights and submits the necessary and appropriate recommendations to the Government for effective implementation of the related provisions. As such, it can also make necessary recommendations to the Government of Nepal regarding reports to be furnished by Nepal pursuant to the provisions of international treaties on human rights. On the matters of Nepal's obligation to furnish reports under international treaties on human rights, the government is obligated to furnish reports upon receiving the opinion of the Commission thereon.

The Commission is also responsible to undertake or cause to be undertaken research in the field of human rights, and evaluate the existing human rights situation of the country. It may publicize and propagate human rights education among the various sections of society through various seminars, symposia, conferences and also build consciousness and awareness about the guarantees bestowed by law for the protection of human rights. Another power of the Commission is to encourage the functioning and efforts of institutions working in the non-governmental sector. In addition, there is a general power to carry out such activities, as the Commission may deem necessary and appropriate for the enforcement, promotion and protection of human rights.

The Commission has one chairperson and four other members; all of them are full-time appointees, who are appointed by the president upon the recommendation of the Constitutional Council. The secretary of the Commission is the focal point for the administration. He/she is appointed by the prime minister on the recommendation of the Commission. The Commission has power to appoint employees as may be required to carry out its functions. In case the Commission requests any government office for assistance in the performance of its functions, the office so requested must provide the required assistance.

The budget of the Commission comes from the Government of Nepal, but may also obtain such means and resources from different agencies by way of grants as are required for the performance of its functions. The account of the Commission is to be audited by the auditor general of Nepal.

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">National Human Rights Commission of India</span> Indian government agency in charge of protecting human rights

    The National Human Rights Commission of India is a statutory body constituted on 12 October 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights Ordinance of 28 September 1993. It was given a statutory basis by the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 (PHRA). The NHRC is responsible for the protection and promotion of human rights, defined by the act as "Rights Relating To Life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the constitution or embodied in the international covenants and enforceable by courts in India".

    A national human rights institution (NHRI) is an independent state-based institution with the responsibility to broadly protect and promote human rights in a given country. The growth of such bodies has been encouraged by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which has provided advisory and support services, and facilitated access for NHRIs to the United Nations (UN) treaty bodies and other committees. There are over one hundred such institutions, about two-thirds assessed by peer review as compliant with the United Nations standards set out in the Paris Principles. Compliance with the Principles is the basis for accreditation at the UN, which, uniquely for NHRIs, is not conducted directly by a UN body but by a sub-committee of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) called the Sub-Committee on Accreditation. The secretariat to the review process is provided by the National Institutions and Regional Mechanisms Section of the OHCHR.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution of Italy</span> Supreme law of Italy

    The Constitution of the Italian Republic was ratified on 22 December 1947 by the Constituent Assembly, with 453 votes in favour and 62 against, before coming into force on 1 January 1948, one century after the previous Constitution of the Kingdom of Italy had been enacted. The text, which has since been amended sixteen times, was promulgated in an extraordinary edition of Gazzetta Ufficiale on 27 December 1947.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties of India</span> Rights provided to Indian citizens

    The Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles of State Policy and Fundamental Duties' are sections of the Constitution of India that prescribe the fundamental obligations of the states to its citizens and the duties and the rights of the citizens to the State. These sections are considered vital elements of the constitution, which was developed between 1949 by the Constituent Assembly of India.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme Court of Nepal</span> Highest court in Nepal

    The Supreme Court of Nepal is the highest court in Nepal. It has appellate jurisdiction over decisions of the seven High Courts and extraordinary original jurisdiction. The court consists of twenty Justices and one Chief Justice.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitutional Court of Russia</span>

    The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation is a high court within the judiciary of Russia which is empowered to rule on whether certain laws or presidential decrees are in fact contrary to the Constitution of Russia. Its objective is only to protect the Constitution and deal with a few kinds of disputes where it has original jurisdiction, whereas the highest court of appeal is the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Romanian Ombudsman</span> Government institution

    The Romanian Ombudsman is an independent institution of the Government of Romania, responsible for investigating and addressing complaints made by citizens against other government institutions.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution of Nepal</span> Present constitution of Nepal

    Constitution of Nepal 2015 is the present governing Constitution of Nepal. Nepal is governed according to the Constitution which came into effect on 20 September 2015, replacing the Interim Constitution of 2007. The constitution of Nepal is divided into 35 parts, 308 Articles and 9 Schedules.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution of Kosovo</span> Supreme law of the Republic of Kosovo

    The Constitution of Kosovo is the supreme law of the Republic of Kosovo, a territory of unresolved political status. Article four of the constitution establishes the rules and separate powers of the three branches of the government. The unicameral Assembly of the Republic exercises the legislative power, the executive branch led by the President and the Prime Minister which are responsible for implementing laws and the judicial system headed by the Supreme Court.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in Liechtenstein</span>

    Liechtenstein, a multiparty constitutional monarchy with a unicameral parliament and a government chosen by the reigning prince at its direction, is a prosperous and free country that is generally considered to have an excellent human-rights record.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution of Uzbekistan</span>

    The Constitution of Uzbekistan was adopted on 8 December 1992 on the 11th session of the Supreme Council of Uzbekistan. It replaced the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan of 1978. It is the supreme law of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The Constitution of Uzbekistan contains six parts and it is further divided into 26 chapters.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Yogyakarta Principles</span> Document about human rights in the areas of sexual orientation and gender identity

    The Yogyakarta Principles is a document about human rights in the areas of sexual orientation and gender identity that was published as the outcome of an international meeting of human rights groups in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in November 2006. The principles were supplemented and expanded in 2017 to include new grounds of gender expression and sex characteristics and a number of new principles. However, the Principles have never been accepted by the United Nations (UN) and the attempt to make gender identity and sexual orientation new categories of non-discrimination has been repeatedly rejected by the General Assembly, the UN Human Rights Council and other UN bodies.

    The Lexington Principles on the Rights of Detainees is a body of international due process principles that reflect the prevailing transnational norms in the area of detainee treatment. The Lexington Principles were completed and published on April 1, 2009. The instrument consists of 45 principles and countless annotations prepared by the project's law student editorial board. A primary purpose of the drafters of the Lexington Principles was to assist the jurisprudential evolution of American constitutional due process standards after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Boumediene v. Bush. While each Principle is based on international law, all provisions have been drafted to facilitate vertical norm internalization into the domestic legal system of the United States and other common law countries.

    The Goa Human Rights Commission was constituted in the month of March 2011 to perform the functions assigned to the State Commission under Chapter V of the Protection of Human Rights Act 1993. The current Chairman of the Commission is Justice Utkarsh V. Bakre, former High Court Judge.

    The Office of the Provedor for Human Rights and Justice, or Provedoria dos Direitos Humanos e Justiça (PDHJ), is the National Human Rights Institution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. It was established under Section 27 of the Constitution of Timor-Leste in May 2002 and first opened its doors in 2006. The PDHJ has a dual mandate covering human rights and good governance.

    The Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission is a State Government body constituted on 18 January 1999 to exercise the powers conferred upon, and to perform the functions assigned to, a State Human Rights Commission under chapter-V of The Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.

    Bihar Human Rights Commission was established on 3 January 2000 by Notification No. 207. The Commission became functional by notification No. 6896 on 25 January 2008 with appointment of the first chairperson, Justice S. N. Jha former Chief Justice of the Jammu & Kashmir and Rajasthan High Court along with Justice Rajendra Prasad, a former Judge of the Patna High Court and R. R. Prasad, a former Director General of Police, Bihar as supporting members of the commission.

    The Kerala State Human Rights Commission was constituted on 11 December 1998 with the appointment of the first Chairperson Justice M.M. Pareed Pillay, a former Chief Justice Kerala High Court along with Dr. S. Balaraman and Shri. T.K. Wilson as supporting members by notification S.R.O No. 1066/1998 Dt: 11-12-98. The former Chief Justice of Kerala High Court Justice Antony Dominic is the present chairperson. The Chairperson and members are appointed by the Kerala Governor.

    The West Bengal Human Rights Commission is an agency of the Government of West Bengal, India. It was established based on Notification No. 42 HS/HRC Dt: 31-01-1995 to exercise the powers conferred upon and to perform the functions assigned to the State Human Rights Commission under Chapter V of the Protection of Human Rights Act. Section 21(2). The commissions become fully functional vied its Notification No. 180 HS/HRC Dt: 13-04-1995.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 proposed Political Constitution of the Republic of Chile</span> Failed proposed constitution of Chile

    The proposed Political Constitution of the Republic of Chile was a Constitutional draft written by the Constitutional Convention of Chile between 4 July 2021 and 4 July 2022. An early draft was made available on 14 May 2022. The final proposal was made available on 4 July 2022.