The jarring condition of State Human Rights Commissions

The State Human Rights Commissions (SHRCs) in India are functioning suboptimally due to high vacancies and resource shortages. Out of 23 SHRCs, only West Bengal’s has met staffing norms, outperformed other SHRCs in gender diversity, fully utilized funds, and cleared over 85% of complaints, according to the India Justice Report 2025.

The IJR evaluated the capacity of State Human Rights Commissions (SHRCs) for 2023 and 2024, focusing on staff shortages, gender diversity, case disposal, and budget utilization.

SHRCs operate through adjudication, administration, and investigation wings, with the adjudicating body led by a chairperson, administration overseen by a secretary, and investigation led by an Inspector General of Police.

The majority of state human rights commissions operated in 2023–2024 with fewer executive staff members than necessary. The competence of SHRCs to objectively look into rights abuses is crucial to their efficacy. Investigative personnel are needed for this. The percentage of investigation openings against sanctioned in the 18 states that submitted information in 2023–24 was 35%. A total of 1,09,136 complaints were received by 22 SHRCs in 2023–2024, with an average case clearance rate of 83%. Sikkim had the fewest complaints, with only five, while Uttar Pradesh received the most, with 31,000.

The 23 SHRCs were given a total budget of Rs. 142 crore for FY 2022–2023. In the same year, the NHRC was allotted Rs. 70 crore. The national average was a pitiful Rs. 0.9 cr, while twenty states had per capita spending below Rs. 5 cr.