PANAJI
Goa Governor Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju has appointed former Bombay High Court judge Justice Bharat Pandurang Deshpande as the new Chairperson of the Goa State Human Rights Commission (GSHRC), more than two-and-a-half years after the post had fallen vacant.
The government notification states that Justice Deshpande’s appointment will take effect from the date he assumes charge of office. “In exercise of the powers conferred on me under sub-section (1) of Section 22 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 … I hereby appoint Bharat Pandurang Deshpande, Former Judge, High Court of Bombay as the Chairperson of the Goa State Human Rights Commission with effect from the date he assumes charge of office,” the order issued by the Governor on April 9 states.
The appointment fills a long-pending vacancy at the top of the rights body. The Commission had remained without a regular chairperson since 2023, when the tenure of then chairperson Justice U V Bakre, also a former judge of the Bombay High Court, came to an end.
The GSHRC had briefly become non-functional in 2023 following the completion of Justice Bakre’s term. Even before his appointment, the Commission had remained headless for nearly four years and was non-functional for about six months.
In October 2023, the state government appointed Desmond D’Costa, a retired principal district and sessions judge, and Pramod Kamat, a retired district and sessions judge, as members of the Commission.
