Post-poll violence: NHRC panel members have links to BJP, West Bengal government claims in HC

The West Bengal government on Monday raised doubts about the affiliation of members of the National Human Rights Commission’s fact-finding panel during a hearing of the case related to the West Bengal post-poll violence, reported Live Law.

The state government has challenged the Calcutta High Court order that asked for a judiciary-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into some of the cases related to the violence after the Assembly elections held earlier this year.

The High Court had asked the NHRC-appointed committee to submit a report on the violence and the five-judge bench had referred to this document as it passed the order for a monitored probe on August 19.

“Is this a Bharatiya Janata Party investigating committee?” asked lawyer Kapil Sibal, who represented the state government during the proceedings on Monday.

Sibal pointed out that some of the members in the NHRC-appointed panel held posts in the BJP.

Sibal also questioned how the NHRC could appoint the members with links to the saffron party. To this, the court said, according to The Telegraph: “If somebody had a political past and if he lands up in an official position by that very fact will we treat him to be biased?”

He claimed that the members were still putting up posts on social media related to the BJP, according to Live Law.

The state government…

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