CJI's Office Is India's Most Powerful Yet Vulnerable Institution, Says NHRC Chief

Justice V Ramasubramanian, retired Supreme Court judge and chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), on Monday said the office of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) faces an “Agni Pariksha” every minute, describing it as the country's “single most important, the most powerful, the most vibrant, and at the same time, the most vulnerable office”.

He made the remarks at an event marking the NHRC's 33rd anniversary, attended by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant as the chief guest.

The comments came amid several petitions filed in the Supreme Court during the ongoing protests in Delhi, India Today reported.

Addressing the gathering, Ramasubramanian said, “The office of the Chief Justice of India is an office which is put to the test of fire, ‘Agni Pariksha’, every day, nay, every minute, not necessarily by sacred souls at all times.”

He also described the CJI's office as the “single most important, the most powerful, the most vibrant, and at the same time, the most vulnerable office in the country”. His address also covered the challenges facing human rights institutions in the wake of digital influence, climate change and growing inequality.

NHRC Anniversary Remarks

The event marked 33 years since the NHRC was established on October 12, 1993.

Ramasubramanian praised the Commission's work in protecting and promoting human rights. “In the past 33 years of its existence, the Commission has done a commendable job in promoting and protecting the human rights of the people of this country,” he said.

He also thanked the CJI for accepting the invitation to attend the event as chief guest.

“Therefore, the CJI's acceptance of our invitation to be the chief guest, especially at a time when he is in great demand, is something remarkable. I owe a great deal of gratitude to him. Thank you, Chief. Given a chance, he may like to stay back,” he said, drawing a light reaction from the gathering and the CJI.

Digital Rights And New Challenges

Ramasubramanian said the way human rights are understood has changed over the years. Until a few decades ago, he said, rights were largely viewed through a “two-dimensional” framework, with the citizen and the state as the principal actors.

“We presumed that it was citizen versus state. But it is not so anymore. Non-state actors now play a huge role, especially after the digital revolution has happened,” he said.

He warned that the digital world could be used to manipulate opinions, influence thought processes and monitor physical and mental activities.

“The day is not far when man will become a machine which may be more mechanical than the machine, and machine may become a human without being humanistic,” he said.

He called on the NHRC and other human rights institutions to adapt to these emerging challenges.

As the Commission marked its foundation day, he said, it must pledge to “reinvent ourselves to face new challenges, reaffirm our commitment to the cause of promotion and protection of human rights and re-engineer our personalities to improve our delivery system”.

He added that human rights institutions across the world must “reinvent themselves to continue to be relevant”.

Climate Change & Inequality

Ramasubramanian also spoke about climate change, saying humanity faced challenges on an unprecedented scale. He said more than two trillion tonnes of carbon dioxide had entered the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution began in 1750.

“If we continue on our current path, parts of our planet will become uninhabitable due to extreme heat,” he said. “Climate migration will increase. Food and water shortages will become more frequent. Hurricanes and floods will claim more and more victims.”

He said the climate crisis was closely linked to socioeconomic inequality, with the world's most vulnerable communities likely to bear the brunt of droughts, shortages, heatwaves, rising sea levels and forced migration.

“The world's 26 richest people own as much capital as the poorest 3.8 billion humans combined. The owners of half the world's assets would fit into a single classroom. It's no coincidence that climate and wealth are so closely linked, as they essentially share a common origin: fossil capitalism,” he said.

He added that fossil fuels had powered humanity's progress over the past two centuries but were also the “source of the extraordinary problems facing us today”.