Pariksha SaathiNHRC to Celebrate 33rd Foundation Day on 12 October 2026; Chief Justice of India to be Chief Guest
India's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) turns 33 on 12 October 2026, and Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant will be Chief Guest at the anniversary function in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Also expected on the dais are NHRC Chairperson Justice V. Ramasubramanian, its Members Justice (Dr.) Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi, Smt. Vijaya Bharathi Sayani and Shri Priyank Kanoongo, and Secretary General Shri Piyush Goyal. Created by the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 and functioning since 12 October 1993, the Commission has dealt with over 24 lakh cases, about 3,100 of them taken up on its own (suo motu), and has recommended more than Rs 274 crore in monetary relief for victims of rights violations. In the single year from October 2025 to September 2026, it registered 54,673 complaints, disposed of 53,733 cases and carried out 80 spot enquiries. A National Conference on the theme 'Water as the Elixir of Life: Advancing Human Dignity through the Right to Water' is scheduled to follow the anniversary function.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
The NHRC is a statutory body, not a constitutional one: it was established on 12 October 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, which was amended in 2019. Under Section 3 of the Act, the Chairperson must have been a Chief Justice of India or a Judge of the Supreme Court; the other members include a serving or former Supreme Court judge, a serving or former Chief Justice of a High Court, and three members with knowledge of human rights, at least one of whom must be a woman. The chairpersons of several national commissions and the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities are deemed members.
Reference: NHRC's page on the composition of the Commission
Check yourself: since the 2019 amendment, must the NHRC Chairperson be a former Chief Justice of India?
No. The amended Section 3 allows a person who has been either a Chief Justice of India or a Judge of the Supreme Court to be Chairperson. Before 2019, only a former Chief Justice of India was eligible.
Revision task: separate the facts fixed by the 1993 Act (founding date, statutory basis, who may chair) from the running figures in this item (cases handled, relief recommended, last year's complaints) that will change by the next Foundation Day.
Test yourself
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which turned 33 on 12 October 2026, was created under which law?
Show the answer
Answer: Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993
The NHRC was created by the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 and has functioned since 12 October 1993; the Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant, was to be Chief Guest at the 33rd Foundation Day function.
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