NEW DELHI: The National Human Rights Commission on Thursday said it has learned of the “misuse of its name and logo” by some NGOs registered under designations that are “deceptively similar” to its own, and has issued notices to authorities in all states and union territories to take necessary action within two weeks.
In a statement, the National Human Rights Commission noted that the continuation of such “fictitious names may erode public confidence, lead to abuse of mandate, possible misappropriation of funds, and create confusion for public authorities” in distinguishing between a statutory body such as the National Human Rights Commission and NGOs.
The Human Rights Committee said that it had earlier expressed its concern through various platforms about the “misuse of its name and logo” and informed the relevant authorities to take action against the people behind such “suspicious organizations.”
However, the statement said that violations were still coming to its attention.
The National Human Rights Commission said it receives complaints from individual complainants as well as non-governmental organizations across the country alleging human rights violations.
“While examining these complaints, the Commission noted that several non-governmental organizations had registered themselves under names deceptively similar to those of the National Human Rights Commission,” the statement read.
Recently, the commission found a registered NGO named ‘National Human Rights Council’, said to have been registered with the Delhi government in 2022. Its propaganda materials were “registered by the Government of NITI Aayog”, “registered by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs of India”, “registered under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India” and linked to the “Andhra Pradesh Human Rights Council Society”, it said.
The visiting card apparently linked to the said organization also bore the inscription “Venkatesh, President of Karnataka,” it added.
Given the seriousness of the matter, it required personal knowledge of the matter.
The statement said that it noted that the name “President” was “misleading and confusing.”
The NHRC noted that “deceptive designations mislead the public into believing that these organizations are either part of the NHRC or recognized/authorized to deal with human rights issues.”
Therefore, the Commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretaries and Directors-General of Police of all states and Union Territories “to identify such individuals from NGOs who are misusing the name of the National Human Rights Commission or using names deceptively similar to it, and take immediate legal action within two weeks, including cancellation of registrations obtained in violation of the norms.”
He also asked them to sensitize the registration authorities to remain vigilant and take necessary action against defaulters.
“In addition, in the immediate matter of the National Human Rights Council, the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, Karnataka and Chief Secretary and Commissioner of Police, Delhi have been directed to submit reports within two weeks on the action taken against the NGO, which has its office in Karnataka and is registered in Delhi.”
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