Former CJI Dattu will be next NHRC chief

Former Chief Justice of India Justice Handyala Lakshminarayanaswamy Dattu was on Tuesday selected as the next chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission.

A committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared the name of Dattu for the post which was lying vacant for the last eight months after the retirement of Mr K.G. Balakrishnan.

Besides the Prime Minister, the meeting was attended by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Union home minister Rajnath Singh, leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha P.J. Kurien.

Leader of Congress party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge did not attend the meeting.

Sixty-five-year-old Justice Dattu had retired as Chief Justice of India on December 2 last year. After taking over as NHRC chairperson, he will have a tenure of five years.

The name will be sent to President Pranab Mukherjee for his nod.

Under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, the President appoints the chairperson and members of the NHRC on the recommendation of the high-powered committee headed by the Prime Minister.

Justice Dattu was Chief Justice of India from September 28, 2014 to December 2, 2015.