The Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993

The Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 was enacted to provide for the constitution of a National Human Rights Commission, State Human Rights Commissions, as well as Human Rights Courts. The Act aims to protect and promote human rights in India by providing an institutional framework for the protection of human rights, investigating human rights violations, and providing compensation and rehabilitation to victims of human rights abuses. The Act defines human rights as the rights relating to life, liberty, equality, and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in international covenants and enforceable by courts in India. The Act also establishes the National Human Rights Commission as an independent statutory body to investigate and inquire into human rights violations and to recommend steps to be taken by the government to prevent such violations.