J&K orders human rights and accountability bodies shut so new ones can spring up

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered the winding up of the Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), State Information Commission (SIC) and State Commission for Protection of Women & Child Rights (SCPWCR) with effect from October 31 this year so that new commissions can be set up.
Also ordered wound up are the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (SCDRC), State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC), State Commission for Persons with Disabilities (SCPWD) and State Accountability Commission (SAC).
The order has been issued to make new commissions which will be governed and monitored by central bodies like the National Human Rights Commission in accordance with the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act of 2019, passed by Parliament on August 5, which says the new Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and of Ladakh would be administered/governed like the Union Territory of Puducherry.
Though Puducherry has a state human rights commission, it is governed by the National Human Rights Commission under an act of Parliament, a senior law officer in the state law and parliamentary department said.
From November 1, the UTs of J&K and Ladakh, too, will have new commissions, like a state human rights commission and state information commission, by virtue of central legislation, he said. Both these bodies would be governed by central commissions, according to the law enacted by Parliament on August 5, the law officer added.
The state accountability commission, meant to make people at the highest level of governance accountable, has been abolished. No politician or person at the highest level of governance in the state has been punished though several cases of corruption, misappropriation of funds and misuse of power have been registered with the state accountability commission, the official said.
The current General Administration Department (GAD) of J&K said that consequent upon the repeal of the acts related to these commissions by the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019, sanction is accorded to the winding up of these commissions with effect from October 31, 2019, the appointed date for the formation of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and UT of Ladakh.
The orders said the chairpersons/presidents and members of theRead More – Source