New Delhi: Setting aside BJP`s objection, the government has appointed NIA chief Sharad C Sinha as a member of the National Human Rights Commission.
A 1975-batch IPS officer from Haryana cadre, Sinha`s name was cleared by a majority decision of the six-member selection panel headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to the appointment of 59-year-old Sinha who will have a tenure of five years. The post had fallen vacant last year after two successive terms of former CBI Director P C Sharma ended.
The selection panel included the Prime Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha P J Kurien, Home Minister Sushilkuamr Shinde, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley.
Notwithstanding opposition from Swaraj and Jaitley over Sinha`s appointment, the government decided to go by majority and cleared his candidature.
Both the BJP leaders gave separate dissent notes to the Prime Minister-led selection panel that met on March 29.
Brushing aside opposition remarks over his appointment, the government reminded that during the appointment of P C Sharma, the then NDA government had gone ahead on the basis of majority.
Swaraj suggested in her dissent note that instead of IAS and IPS officers, who are the ones mostly facing charges of violating human rights, members of civil society and the marginalised and weaker sections be chosen for such jobs.
PTI
