New Delhi, Jul 9 (PTI) The Supreme Court directed the Centre on Tuesday to file a reply within two weeks on a plea seeking directions to fill vacancies in the National Human Rights Commission.

A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice JB Pardiwala asked the Centre to inform it about the steps taken and the time needed to fill the vacancies in the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

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The petition has been posted for hearing on July 29.

The top court was hearing a plea filed by lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy, seeking directions to fill the vacant posts.

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Tripathy submitted that the NHRC had been functioning with only one member.

The Centre had earlier appointed Vijaya Bharathi Sayani as acting chairperson after former apex court judge Arun Mishra demitted office.

Sayani, an advocate practising before Telangana High Court, was appointed as an NHRC member in December 2023.

According to the NHRC, Sayani handled cases of women harassment and dowry, providing pro bono legal aid to those belonging to economically weaker sections.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)