A team of seasoned rights defenders from Odisha brings ground realities to the table at a landmark NHRC interaction.
Bhubaneswar | July 22, 2025
In a significant development for human rights advocacy in the state, a high-level delegation from the Citizen’s Human Rights Clinic (CHRC), Odisha, participated in an interactive session convened by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) at the State Guest House Conference Hall, Bhubaneswar. The meeting aimed to engage civil society organizations, rights defenders, and professionals on pressing human rights issues and governance gaps in Odisha.
The CHRC team comprised several distinguished members including Shri Gopabandhu Mallick, I.P.S. (Retd.), Chairman; Prof. Jayakrishna Mohanta, Secretary General; noted writer and novelist Ms. Rashmi Roul; Ms. Banashri Mohapatra, Women’s Wing Secretary; senior journalist and CHRC Life Member Dr. Sarat Chandra Behera; Prof. Srikanta Mallick, National Spokesperson; social worker Ms. Gouri Rani Sahoo; and rights activist Shri Sudhakar Nayak.
Custodial Rights Violations Under Scanner
Addressing the Commission, Shri Gopabandhu Mallick raised grave concerns over the lack of adherence to the Supreme Court-mandated guidelines outlined in the historic D.K. Basu vs. State of West Bengal judgment of 1997. These 11 guidelines were specifically designed to safeguard the rights of individuals in police custody and to prevent custodial violence and deaths.
“Despite being legally binding, these directions are often disregarded by law enforcement authorities,” said Mallick. “The failure to implement them reflects systemic negligence, which not only erodes public trust but also endangers the fundamental rights of detainees. We earnestly request the Hon’ble Commission to issue urgent directives to State Governments to enforce these guidelines in letter and spirit.”
Delay in Issuing Vital Documents: A Human Rights Issue
Following this, Prof. Jayakrishna Mohanta and Dr. Sarat Chandra Behera highlighted the repeated delays citizens face in obtaining birth and death certificates—a basic entitlement under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969. The law mandates that such documents be issued within 15 days, but in practice, the process is often marred by red tape, apathy, and inefficiency.
“These delays have a cascading effect—people are denied essential services such as ration cards, school admissions, pensions, and property claims,” noted Dr. Behera. “When citizens are forced to wait months for a document that should be issued in days, it becomes a matter of dignity and rights—not just administration.”
Prof. Mohanta added, “We urge the Commission to examine this issue as a systemic denial of services and direct the appropriate authorities to ensure accountability and time-bound delivery.”
Memorandums Submitted for Urgent Intervention
At the conclusion of the meeting, the CHRC delegation, on behalf of CHRC, Purbasha, and the Sabitri Devi Charitable Trust, formally submitted three detailed memorandums to the NHRC. These memorandums outline specific demands and recommendations for addressing human rights violations, enhancing service delivery, and ensuring better compliance with court-mandated protocols.
The NHRC officials present assured the participants that all submissions would be examined in detail and appropriate steps would be taken to address the issues raised.
A Collaborative Platform for Change
This interactive session served as a critical platform for rights defenders to directly engage with the NHRC and provide ground-level feedback. The presence of such a diverse and credible representation from CHRC Odisha reflects the growing civic consciousness and collective push for reform in human rights enforcement mechanisms.
The CHRC delegation’s participation underscores its ongoing commitment to justice, transparency, and institutional accountability in Odisha and beyond.
