As the key posts in the Uttar Pradesh Commission for Minorities have remained vacant for roughly 18 months, critics alleged that the prolonged vacency raises concerns about institutional functioning and access to justice for all minority communities.
They further say that many key posts are vacant in other government bodies related to minorities including the Madrasa board.
“The prolonged vacancy in the Uttar Pradesh Commission for Minorities — over 18 months — naturally raises concerns about institutional functionality and access to justice for all minority communities. In any constitutional democracy, commissions like these play an important role in addressing grievances, monitoring rights protections, advising governments on welfare issues and serving as a bridge between citizens and the administration. When such bodies remain non functional for extended periods, it affects not only one community but the credibility of governance itself,” said Nasser Salim, spokesperson the Samajwadi Party.
The Congress alleged that it was a calculated move to deprive the minorities in the State, primarily Muslims, from access to any redressal mechanism for their grievances and complaints.
“A body like minorities commission is a vital platform where people from minority sections raise matters of atrocities and high handedness done by authorities. But, in U.P. the way key posts in the commission remains vacant highlights that a calculated move is at play to deprive minorities primarily Muslims access to redressal of complaints and give a free run to bulldoze minority rights,” said Shahnawaz Alam, national secretary, the Congress.
In 1994, the Uttar Pradesh Minority Commission Act-1994 was notified for giving statutory status to the Uttar Pradesh Commission for Minorities. The Uttar Pradesh Minority Commission Act-1994 (as amended by Act-2013) provided for one Chairman and eight members from among the minorities in the Commission. The term of office of the Chairman/Members of the Commission is fixed at three years. Under the section-2(c) of Uttar Pradesh Minority Commission Act-1994 Muslim, Sikh, Christians, Buddhist, Parsi and Jain community is notified as a minority community in Uttar Pradesh.
The last Commission was appointed in June 2021 and its term ended in June 2024 after which the posts have remained vacant.