The National Human Rights Commission has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to pay Rs 10 lakh to the family of a 36-year-old man who died in police custody in 2021. This order underscores the persistent problem of custodial deaths across India, with Uttar Pradesh reporting the highest numbers. It signals a potential revival amid the commission's institutional challenges.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has ordered the Uttar Pradesh government to provide Rs 10 lakh compensation to the family of a 36-year-old man who died in police custody in 2021. This directive reaffirms the inviolability of human dignity and the need for accountability in cases of state excess.
Official data indicates that between 2020 and 2022, over 4,400 custodial deaths occurred nationwide, with Uttar Pradesh accounting for 952 of them. In September 2023, the Gujarat State Law Commission highlighted rising custodial deaths in the state as “a matter of great public concern.” The Status of Policing in India Report 2025, released in March 2025, revealed that a significant percentage of police personnel approve of coercive actions, based on surveys of 8,276 officers across 17 states and union territories.
Established in 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights Act, the NHRC was designed as a safeguard against state overreach, tasked with investigating violations, recommending remedies, and shaping human rights jurisprudence in India. In its early years, it addressed overcrowded and degrading prison conditions, issued the country's first guidelines on extra-judicial killings, defended labor rights, supported victims of communal violence, and advocated for compensation. Over time, however, growing deference to governments, hesitation in politically sensitive cases, and opacity in appointments have exposed structural weaknesses, including non-binding recommendations and limited enforcement powers—once described by a former chairperson as a “toothless tiger.” In 2024, its accreditation by the UN-recognized Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions was deferred for a second year, citing lacks in transparency and diversity in appointments.
A cynical view might dismiss the NHRC’s directive as merely symbolic. Yet, it marks a welcome assertion and a step toward reclaiming purpose. No single verdict can reverse institutional drift, nor can compensation restore a lost life. But such actions can refocus the commission on its core mandate: advocating for the voiceless and demonstrating that vigilance counts.
