Pariksha SaathiNHRC Turns 33: CJI Surya Kant Calls the Commission a Guiding Light, Right to Water in Focus
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) marked 33 years since its creation with a function at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on 12 October 2026, held together with a national conference on the right to water titled 'Water as the Elixir of Life: Advancing Human Dignity through the Right to Water'. Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant, the chief guest, answered the familiar criticism that the Commission can only make recommendations by likening it to a lighthouse, whose role is to guide people through darkness rather than to stop injustice by force. He said State Human Rights Commissions carry a special responsibility because they are closer to the places where violations actually happen, and argued that the real test of water policy is whether supply is safe, reliable and available when families need it. NHRC Chairperson Justice V. Ramasubramanian said rights bodies everywhere must reinvent themselves as climate change and the digital world, where non-State actors now hold great influence, create new challenges. The CJI also welcomed the Commission's new mobile application and the digitisation of its records.
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 was established on 12 October 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993, which was later amended by the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Act, 2019. Section 2(1)(d) of the Act defines human rights as rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in International Covenants and enforceable by courts in India. The Commission conforms to the Paris Principles on national human rights institutions, which were endorsed by the UN General Assembly in its resolution 48/134 of 20 December 1993.
Reference: NHRC India, About the Organisation
Check yourself: is the NHRC a constitutional body like the Election Commission?
No. The NHRC is a statutory body, created by an Act of Parliament (the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993), not by a provision of the Constitution.
Revision task: note the NHRC's founding date and parent Act, the current Chairperson named in this release, and the theme of this year's Foundation Day conference.
Test yourself
At the NHRC's 33rd Foundation Day, the Chief Justice of India answered the criticism that the Commission can only make recommendations by likening it to what?
Show the answer
Answer: A lighthouse
CJI Justice Surya Kant compared the NHRC to a lighthouse, whose role is to guide people through darkness rather than stop injustice by force; the day also featured a national conference on the right to water.
Read the daily collection → · Editorial standards & corrections