UPSC Mains 2021 GS2 Q12 — Statutory Bodies
Though the Human Rights Commissions have contributed immensely to the protection of human rights in India, yet they have failed to assert themselves against the mighty and powerful. Analyzing their structural and practical limitations, suggest remedial measures. (Answer in 250 words)
Question Decoded — examiner's intent
- Directive verbs
- Analyzingsuggest
- Scope keywords
- Human Rights Commissionsprotection of human rights in Indiafailed to assert themselvesmighty and powerfulstructural and practical limitationsremedial measures
- Implicit sub-parts
- Briefly acknowledge the 'immense contribution' (successes) to validate the first part of the statement.
- Examine the specific reasons why the commission struggles against state actors and high-profile individuals (the 'mighty').
- Categorize constraints into structural (e.g., selection process, funding) vs. practical (e.g., investigative staff, recommendatory nature).
- Propose forward-looking reforms to make the HRCs 'teeth' more effective rather than just 'bark'.
- Common pitfalls
- Spending too much time listing HRC success stories instead of focusing on the 'failure to assert' aspect.
- Generic listing of human rights violations instead of analyzing the institutional weaknesses of the Commission itself.
- Ignoring State Human Rights Commissions (SHRCs) and focusing only on the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
- Failing to mention the 'toothless tiger' critique or the specific 1-year limitation on taking up cases.
- Offering vague suggestions like 'better implementation' instead of specific legal or structural reforms (e.g., autonomous cadre, binding nature of recommendations).
- Dimensions required
- Legislative (Protection of Human Rights Act)Administrative/Executive influenceJudicial (role as a civil court)Financial (budgetary independence)Human Resources (investigative machinery)
- Marks allocation hint
Devote approximately 40-50 words to the achievements and the 'mighty' context to set the stage. The core of the answer (140-150 words) must be a balanced split between structural/practical limitations. Conclude with 50-60 words of specific, actionable remedial measures to ensure the answer is solution-oriented.
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