Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki today said the rights of people cannot be protected unless criminalisation, corruption and nepotism are eradicated from the society.
"India being a democratic country, its first aim is to protect the human rights of people. But it cannot be achieved unless criminalisation, corruption and nepotism are completely eradicated from the society," he said.
The Governor was speaking after inaugurating a 2-day conclave of All India State Human Rights Commissions organised by Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) at Judicial Academy here today.
Chairpersons, acting chairpersons and legal registrars of Human Rights Commissions of 13 states are participating in the conclave.
Solanki said that it was not only the responsibility of the Human Rights Commissions to protect the rights of people but of every citizen in the country.
There is a need to educate people about their rights, he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission Justice(retd) K G Balakrishnan said that state governments should provide basic infrastructural facilities to the state Human Rights Commissions including financial autonomy, secretariat staff so that they could function efficiently.
He said that Human Rights Commissions are bound to protect the civil, cultural, socio-economic and other rights of people as enshrined in the Constitution.
The NHRC Chairperson said that in some states, the commissions were not entrusted with the basic infrastructural facilities.
Throwing light on the problems being faced by the Commissions in implementing decisions, Balakrishnan said that in many incidents, police is not registering cases of crime against women despite amendments in the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The authorities were not responding properly despite the fact that 34 per cent of total cases were related to police.
