UT of J&K can’t have Human Rights Body of its own: CM

Srinagar, Oct 28: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday told the Legislative Assembly that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir cannot have its own Human Rights Commission under the existing constitutional framework.

Responding to Congress MLA Nizamuddin Bhat’s plea seeking permission to introduce a private member’s bill for the establishment of a local human rights body, the Chief Minister said that the J&K Reorganisation Act does not provide for the creation of such an institution.

“The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) covers the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, and Ladakh,” Omar Abdullah said, adding that a separate commission for J&K could only be constituted after the restoration of statehood.

He recalled that before August 2019, Jammu and Kashmir had its own fully functional State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), which actively dealt with cases of alleged rights violations. “That law was among those removed from the Statute Book after the reorganisation of the state,” he said. “Now, the UT is under the purview of the NHRC.”

The Chief Minister rejected the argument that the absence of a local body had left a vacuum in rights protection mechanisms. “It is incorrect to say there is no redressal system in place. The mechanism exists — the only difference is that the NHRC now performs this role instead of the SHRC,” he clarified.

However, MLA Nizamuddin Bhat insisted that a dedicated institution within Jammu and Kashmir was essential. He said that the NHRC remained largely inaccessible to ordinary citizens and was unable to handle the sheer volume of cases from the region. “A localised mechanism for monitoring, investigating, and addressing allegations of human rights violations is needed to fill the visible institutional gap,” Bhat argued.

He added that the people of J&K must feel confident that their rights are protected. “Over the decades, our situation has shown how necessary such a body is,” the MLA said.

The proposed bill was among 41 private members’ bills listed for introduction during the session, but was not allowed on what the government termed “technical grounds.” “No such possibility exists under the J&K Reorganisation Act,” the Chief Minister reiterated.