About Goa Human Rights Commission

The Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, provides for the constitution of the National Human Rights Commission at the national level and State Human Rights Commissions at the State level for better protection of human rights and matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

The Goa Human Rights Commission was constituted on 04/03/2011 to exercise the powers conferred upon and to perform functions assigned to the State Commissions under Chapter V of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. It is a statutory autonomous body which is intended to help and ensure that the public functionaries do not violate human rights of the aggrieved parties.

Initially, by Notification No. 1/27/1999-HD(G), Government of Goa, appointed Justice Prafulla Kumar Misra, former Chief Justice of Patna High Court as Chairperson of the Commission and Shri A.D. Salkar, former District Judge of the State of Goa and Shri J.A. Keny, former Member of the Goa Public Service Commission, were appointed as Members of the Commission.

Thereafter, vide Notification No. 1/27/99-HD(G)/Vol.I/346 dated 05/02/2020, Government of Goa, appointed Shri Utkarsh V. Bakre, Retired Judge of the Bombay High Court as Chairperson and Shri Desmond D'Costa, Retired Principal District and Sessions Court Judge of the State of Goa and Shri Pramod V. Kamat, former District and Additional Sessions Judge and former Law Secretary of the State of Goa, were appointed as Members of the Commission.

Vide Notification No. 1/27/99-HD(G)/Vol.I/2873 dated 30/10/2023, Government of Goa, re-appointed Shri Desmond D'Costa, Retired Principal District and Sessions Court Judge of the State of Goa as Member and authorized to act as Chairperson and Shri Pramod V. Kamat, former District and Additional Sessions Judge and former Law Secretary of the State of Goa, as Member of the Commission.

The Police Investigation team is made available to the State Commission for efficient functioning of the State Commission.

In absence of a State Human Rights Commission in the State of Goa, the persons whose human rights were allegedly violated by the public functionaries were constrained to approach the normal Courts of Law, which involves a long and cumbersome procedure apart from being a costly affair. The establishment of the State Human Rights Commission has fulfilled the aspirations of the people of Goa who, now, have easy access to justice to ventilate their grievances against public servants in the matter of violation of human rights.

The Government of Goa has allotted adequate office premises to the Commission and has also provided adequate infrastructure for smooth functioning of the Commission.