‘A Right That Fails The Powerless Is No Right’: CJI Surya Kant’s Message On Human Rights

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Monday urged human rights institutions to reach people who struggle to make their voices heard, stressing that constitutional guarantees must translate into everyday realities.

Kant was addressing the National Human Rights Commission’s (NHRC) 33rd Foundation Day function at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

The CJI highlighted the NHRC’s 33-year journey as a trusted institution, stressing that its achievements and responsibilities towards the people it serves should define its work.

“Like people, institutions reveal their true character through the milestones they celebrate. We look back at where they began, we look around at where they stand, and we look ahead at what they owe the people they serve,” he said.

The NHRC has registered more than 24 lakh cases and disposed of over 23 lakh, recording a disposal rate exceeding 98 per cent.

The CJI said these figures reflected efforts to bring serious human rights violations to public attention.

Citing custodial torture and deaths, bonded labour, industrial exposure to silicosis and abuses affecting marginalised communities, the CJI called for accountability, meaningful relief and measures to prevent recurring violations.

“A right that works for the powerful but fails the powerless cannot be regarded as a right in its true sense,” he remarked, describing it as ‘a privilege with better branding’.

The CJI called for stronger protection for undertrials without lawyers, undocumented migrants, abandoned elderly people, persons with disabilities and overlooked women. He further highlighted the role of State Human Rights Commissions in addressing local grievances and identifying systemic failures.

Right to Water and Human Dignity

The conference focused on ‘Water as the Elixir of Life: Advancing Human Dignity through the Right to Water’, with discussions covering waterbody restoration and drinking water protection.

The CJI further described human rights as tangible as ‘a glass of clean water in the hands of a child’.

NHRC Chairperson Justice V Ramasubramanian, members Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi, Vijaya Bharathi Sayani and Priyank Kanoongo, Secretary General Piyush Goyal and other dignitaries attended the event.

Also Read: ‘The Doors Of The Supreme Court Are Open To Everyone’: CJI Surya Kant Explains INDIA Bloc Snub