Mr. Anish Yadav, a 2014-batch IAS officer, has been serving as Secretary, Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) since December 1, 2024. In addition, he continues to hold multiple key positions, including Deputy Commissioner, Hisar; Administrator, HSVP-Hisar; and Additional Director, Urban Estate, Hisar, since November 3, 2024.
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However, Mr. Hemant Kumar, an advocate at the Punjab & Haryana High Court, has raised legal objections to Mr. Yadav’s appointment as Secretary, HHRC. In a legal representation addressed to Justice Lalit Batra (Retd.), Chairman of HHRC, and its members Mr. Kuldip Jain and Mr. Deep Bhatia, he has questioned the validity of the appointment.
Citing Section 27(1)(a) of The Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 (PHRA), Mr. Hemant Kumar argued that only an officer not below the rank of a Secretary to the State Government is eligible to serve as Secretary of the State Human Rights Commission. As Mr. Yadav is currently in the Junior Administrative Grade (JAG) of IAS, he does not hold the requisite rank.
The advocate further pointed out that Haryana has no shortage of Secretary-rank IAS officers, highlighting that six IAS officers from the 2009 batch were promoted to the Super Time Scale (Level 14 in the Pay Matrix) from January 1, 2025, making them eligible for such postings.
Emphasizing strict adherence to legal provisions, Hemant Kumar asserted that the State Government must comply with the law enacted by Parliament, which explicitly mandates that only an officer at the Secretary rank can be appointed to this position.
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