Citing NHRC report, Vice President Jaideep Dhankar says West Bengal has ‘law of ruler, not rule of law’

“The NHRC report on West Bengal post-poll violence under a judicial fiat in shortest time underlining that the law of the ruler not the rule of law is the bane of human rights in the state,” Dhankar, former governor of West Bengal, said at the annual NHRC foundation day.

Dhankar was the state governor for nearly three years and had a tumultuous relationship with Banerjee’s government.

Speaking at the event, NHRC chairperson Justice Arun Mishra backed a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), saying, “We must achieve gender equality and equal rights for all, for women. They cannot be discriminated against and deprived of civil liberties and rights under the guise of dharma or customary practices. It is desirable to move in the direction of a UCC as envisaged in Article 44 of the Constitution.”

Mishra further said that not getting clean air in several cities in the country is a grave violation of human rights. “Burning of stubble in neighbouring states must stop at once as it chokes Delhi every winter,” he said.

In his address, Dhankar, without naming China, also cautioned about expansion of geographical boundaries and said India never believed in such a policy.

“Any expansion, particularly of geographical boundaries, involves violation of human rights, of an extreme degree. This nation (India) has never done so,” he said.

In 2021, the NHRC received more than 121,000 complaints and decided on more than 128,000 complaints including old and fresh cases. The commission recommended a monetary relief of about ’10 crore in 250 cases.