"Gujarat could be the first model state in this regard. That is why, we have begun the open hearing session from here", NHRC Chairperson Justice K G Balakrishnan said inaugurating the session.
The delegation led by NHRC Chairperson Justice K G Balakrishnan comprised NHRC member Justice B C Patel, Registrar (Law) A K Garg, Director General Investigation (NHRC) Sunil Krishna and some other senior officers of the Commission.
"The purpose of conducting open hearings was to give them (SCs) a chance to come and speak out fearlessly. We shall convey their views to the district collectors, police officials, Labour Department and Justice Department so that they can suggest remedies to their problems", he said.
The NHRC has decided to hold such open hearings in various states to reach out to Dalits and hear their complaints about violations of their rights by the public authorities as part of the recommendations given by K B Saxena, IAS (Retd) in his report to NHRC on the continuing problems faced by the SCs.
The Commission has adopted 2012-13 as the year for implementation of the Saxena Committee report.
"We shall be conducting such open hearing sessions in various states of the country. After two weeks, we shall be going to the North Eastern states like Assam. We plan to go to West Bengal and conduct a open hearing in Chattishgarh", Balakrishnan said.
Commenting on the status of SCs in the state, Balakrishnan said, the future of the SC community seems to be fairly good in Gujarat as compared to many other states. There are so many innovative schemes being implemented by the state. (More)
