Date:03/01/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/01/03/stories/2008010357170200.htm

Other States - Orissa

Patra state HR panel chief

Correspondent

CUTTACK: Former Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court and also former acting Chief Justice of Orissa High Court Justice R K Patra on Wednesday joined as new chairman of the Orissa Human Rights Commission.

Prior to his new assignment, Justice Patra was president of the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

The post of State HR panel chairman has been lying vacant for the last three months after Justice D P Mohapatra retired from the post in September 2007.

Ever since the Commission was formed in July 2003, it had received as many as 6,000 complaints of human rights violations, sources in the Commission said.

Most of the complaints received by the Commission are against the State police.

Besides, the commission has received cases like ragging in educational institutions, violation against women and child labour, domestic helps and atrocities on jail inmates. As many as 2000 complaints have now been addressed by the Commission.