1. The State Human Rights Commission had been lying non-functional since the year 2005. Successive State Governments have failed to make appointments to the Commission, even though the governments changed three times in last fifteen years.
    Number of Human Rights violations did occur within state of HP from time to time and absence of a statutory body for checking such violations made the things worse. Accordingly Civil Writ Petition No. 889/2019 titled Namita Maniktala vs State of HP was filed in High Court of Himachal Pradesh Shimla.
  2. The court took serious note of non-constitution of State Human Rights Commission and the
    Lokapal and issued show cause notice to state government as to why these institutions had not
    yet been constituted.
    Examples of some of such violations in the State were given.
    (A). In an instance of custodial torture, one Dr. Kashmir Singh Thakur was taken into custody by the Police and was tortured in the lockup, however, Dr. Thakur could take up the matter in the Courts of Law and in a civil suit, the Court of Ld. District Judge, Chamba, H.P. awarded damages for Rs. 25 lakh along with interest on account of custodial torture. Against the said Decree, the first appeal bearing RFA No. 307 of 2018 is pending adjudication before this Hon’ble High Court.
    (B). In CWPIL No. 224 of 2017, “Court on Its Own Motion Versus State of Himachal Pradesh”, family of a boy, who went missing was made to shuttle between the Police Station, Sundernagar, HP and Police Station, Manali, a number of times for the purposes of filing of FIR. The missing boy was later on found murdered after his body was recovered near
    Rohtang Pass, Manali. The FIR was registered by Police Station, Sundernagar only after huge number of people gathered as a mark of protest. In the said case, the Court ordered that the FIR has to be recorded by the Police Station where the matter is reported irrespective of the territorial jurisdiction and later the same can be transferred to the Police Station having jurisdiction in the area.
    (C). In a CWP No. 2236 of 2018, “H.P. High Court Bar Association Versus State of Himachal Pradesh”, where various prayers were made on account of murder of a Member of the Bar Association. The said Writ Petition highlighted the factum of caste based polarization in the Society, where a kind of Khap Panchayat, known locally as “Khumbli” imposes punishments on the members of the lower castes on the basis of beliefs, which does not have sanction of law. The said murder took place because of the fact that the deceased was a vocal opponent of “Khumbli” system.
    (D). Recently in the year 2018, during a religious ceremony in Kullu, where the flowers offered to the deity fell in the lap of a ‘Dalit’. By virtue of this fact, he was beaten and fine was recovered from him.
    (E). Similarly, in another incident of District Kullu one HRTC Conductor was fined for Rs. 10,000/- when he entered a house of the upper caste person.
    (F). In a recent incident, members of dalit community in Kullu were stopped by members of higher caste from performing the last rites at the cremation site. Though, a criminal case had been registered, but it reflects the divide in society, for which a special body like that of Human Rights Commission wa needed.
    It is important to note that the Supreme Court of India, as far as back in 2015, had directed
    the States including HP to constitute the Commission. However, two governments
    changed places and the State was yet to see the implementation of judgment.
  3. As a result of successive orders passed by the Court, the HP State Human Rights Commission as well as the institution of Lokpal were constituted and after appointment of Chairpersons and Members, both the institutions are operational.