Rights body members allege discrimination

The chairperson of MSHRC has accused the state government of denying him and other members vacation and leave travel concession on par with the chief justice and other high court judges respectively, reports HT Correspondent.

The chairperson of the Maharashtra State Human rights Commission (MSHRC) has accused the state government of denying him and other members vacation and leave travel concession on par with the chief justice and other high court judges respectively.

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The MSHRC chairperson, Justice Kshitij Vyas, has written a letter to the chief justice of Bombay High Court on the alleged apathetic attitude of the government. The letter, dated August 3, was later converted into a suo motu (on its own motion) public interest litigation.

“The high court had granted time to the government to file reply and the case is likely to come up for hearing on November 12,” said Advocate V.P. Patil, appointed as amicus curiae (friend of the court).

“I have been meted out with discriminatory treatment by denying benefits of vacation and leave travel concession by the state when most of the states have provided such benefits to the chairman and members of their SHRC,” the letter added.

“My meeting (with then chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh) ended with oral assurance to look into the matter, without any positive decision in the matter.”

Justice Vyas added that he and other commission members had met the deputy chief minister. However, nothing was done, he added.