HC seeks reply on vacant posts in BHRC

Patna: Taking notice of a PIL filed against the shortage of staff at Bihar Human Rights Commission (BHRC), the Patna high court on Tuesday sought a reply from its secretary. A division bench of Chief Justice K Vinod Chandran and Justice Rajiv Roy, while hearing the PIL filed by advocate Prince Kumar Mishra, asked the respondent secretary to file an affidavit.The petitioner apprised the two judges that 91% of the total sanctioned strength of the staff in the BHRC were lying vacant since long. Even the crucial posts of research officers, investigating officers, additional registrar, accountant, stenographer and and clerical cadre staff were lying vacant.A vital function of the BHRC is to conduct spot inquiry of any violation of human rights through its own team comprising a police superintendent, inspector, sub-inspector and a stenographer and all these posts were lying vacant, thus reducing the commission to work merely on paper, Mishra added.The court will hear this case again on February 2, 2024.