On April 12, 2017, the then UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mr. Zeid Raad Al Hussein had addressed a letter to the then Union Minister of External Affairs Ms. Sushma Swaraj, expressing concern over the working of NHRC. In his letter, the UN High Commissioner had stated the following:
- Establishing an open, transparent and merit-based selection process for the members of the governing body of the NHRC by giving equal representation to all sections of the society.
- Appointing an advisory council to the governing body of NHRC without voting rights comprising NGOs, civil society actors and independent experts.
- Empowering NHRC to issue independently its own rules of procedure and guidelines with provisions for citing any person for violations for these procedures and guidelines.
- Establishing three additional offices of NHRC in Eastern, Western and Southern parts of India and providing the Commission with appropriate funds to carry out its mandate.
- Establishing a toll-free-national- helpline for contacting NHRC in emergency and urgent situations of grave violations of human rights.
- Empowering NHRC to cover all relevant cases involving paramilitary forces and the army, including in the Jammu & Kashmir state.
- Empowering NHRC to inquire into alleged human rights violations and abuses by the armed forces of India.
