BJP opposes NIA chief's appointment as NHRC member

NEW DELHI: BJP has opposed the government's reported move to appoint NIA chief S C Sinha as a member of NHRC, saying the party disfavours any retired bureaucrat or senior police official in any post of the national human rights body.

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and her Rajya Sabha counterpart Arun Jaitley told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday that they are opposed to Sinha's appointment, sources said.

While BJP maintains that government wants to appoint to these key posts those bureaucrats and senior police officials who were close to the administration, sources said the main opposition's reservations about Sinha are due to the fact that he had allegedly held RSS responsible for "Hindu terror".

BJP had earlier opposed retired CBI Chief A P Singh's appointment to NHRC despite several requests and informal meetings of UPA ministers with Swaraj and Jaitley. Singh was later appointed as a member of UPSC.

Other members of NHRC selection panel, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha P J Kurien were also present in the meeting held yesterday evening.

BJP has reservations against giving NHRC posts to retired bureaucrats and police personnel.

This has become a contentious issue between the government and the opposition with the former trying to push through the candidature of some retired top officials, including those from CBI and Intelligence Bureau.

BJP has maintained that government is using NHRC posts as after-retirement sops for pliant bureaucrats.

Moreover, the party has reportedly conveyed to the government that IAS and IPS officers are often violators of human rights and should not be made members of NHRC.