Composition and Functions — Policy Reforms

Entry	Year	Description	Impact
Act 19 of 2019	2019	The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Act, 2019 widened eligibility for the NHRC chairperson to include a former Supreme Court judge as well as a former Chief Justice of India. It increased the human-rights knowledge or experience category from two members to three, with at least one woman. It also expanded the specified institutional participation to include the backward-classes and child-rights commissions and the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, and changed the term provisions from five years to three years with the specified reappointment changes.	The amendment changed who can lead the Commission and the breadth of expertise represented in it. It did not mean that the Commission has only three members: that number refers to one membership category. Wider representation and a different term structure are institutional design changes; their effect on independence and effectiveness must be assessed alongside appointments, resources and follow-through on findings. The amendment should not be described as converting the NHRC into a constitutional court.