BOOK REVIEW

HUMAN RIGHTS PERSPECTIVE AND CHALLENGES

REVIEWED BY

LT CDR NAKUL CHAUHAN

43379-N

INTRODUCTION

1. Social issues like Human Right Violation, unfair treatment with minorities and forced
eviction have always been matter of great concern and point of discussion. These social
problems supplemented by economic crisis are driving the world crazy. All great scholars
are trying to find reasonable and logical answers to these evils to give equal opportunity to
all human beings.

2. The book “Human Right Perspective and Challenges” written by Justice Rajinder
Sachar is also an attempt to bring out these social and economic evils to the notice of larger
population. It is a comprehensive collection of articles by a judge with legal and sociological
angle to it.

Author

3. Justice Rajinder Sachar is an Indian lawyer and former Chief Justice of Delhi High
Court. He was a member of UN’s Sub commission on Promotion and Protection of Human
Rights. He is particularly known for chairing the famous Sachar Committee, which had
submitted a report on social, economic, and educational status of Muslims in India.

Summary of Contents of The Book

4. Problems of Minorities. In his book, Sachar identified three main problems of

minorities viz problem of identification, problem of security and problem of equity. He feels
that it is little disconcerting that after three decades of independence, India is still faced with
the problem of effectively ensuring a better deal for its minorities. It is because of the multi
religious and multi linguistic character of the country and that one often talks of unity in
diversity as the chief force of the nation. Today, unfortunately, the diversity is more in
evidence than unity. Divertive forces have yet not been subdued. Justice Sachar has lucidly
discussed these and has examined the problem in historical perspective and has also built
up his analysis on the basis of official and non-official reports of the Committees,
conferences and study groups constituted before and after independence to investigate
these problems.
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5. Forced Eviction. Author mentions that fate of families in the rural areas of the
country, was and is in the hands of the landlords. He says that even in most desolate areas
of the country evictions used to be rear, but today, most poor renting families are spending
more than half of their income on housing and eviction has become ordinary, especially for
single mothers. In vivid, he provides a ground level view of one of the most urgent issue
that India is faring today. As we see families forced into unhygienic shelters or more
dangerous neighborhood, we threaten their basic human right of life and good health. Also,
this way we bear the cost of India’s vast inequality and to people’s determination and
intelligence in the face of the hardship.

6. Justice Sachar also highlights role of police in protecting human rights. Sachar
emphasizes that police leaders must themselves be humane, ethical and possess high
quality of human excellence. Professionalism, as it is said, is proper balance of knowledge
and skills on one hand and need of people on other. By this account, author is of the
opinion that police in India can hardly be called professional. The 3 rd degree on suspects or
those in custody, the callous way in which most of the investigations are conducted and the
less than civ manner in which the poor sections of the society are dealt with at police
stations are a few examples of lack of professionalism. If only, the police leadership were
professional themselves, perhaps human rights would be well protected.

7. Justice Sachar also mentions that freedom of speech and human rights are taken for
granted, but recent years have seen conditions deteriorating around the world. For
example, in 1998, UN reported that even though over 100 countries had agreed to outlaw
some of the worse human right violations, torture was still on increase. With war on terror
triggered by terrorist attacks on US on Sep 11, 2001, the condition of human rights seems
to have deteriorated, especially in developing countries, with not only terrorists committing
human right violations but also powerful govts sacrificing rights for security. Violence by
armed groups and increased relations by govt have combined to produce the most
sustained attack in 60 years. This has led to a world of growing mistreatment, fear and
division. Some are continuing to suppress rights while others are ignoring these plights of
people.

8. The author has also tried to highlight the effect of global economic crisis on human
rights. He mentions that it has had devastating effect on lives and livelihoods across the
world, especially on the poorest people in poorest countries, threatening human rights.
Greater poverty, and the hunger that it brings has threatened the right to life and health of
many poor people, especially children. Every year, during crisis, as many as 4 lakh children
die because their families cannot afford food or basic med care. While people in developed
countries are feeling the impact, the poor people in developing countries have bearded the
brunt. He has also given many other examples. To count one, he says, bankruptcies mean
increase in global unemployment and which in turn means denying right to decent wk.

Critique Views
9. To say the least, this work on human rights is a comprehensive collection of articles
contributed by an eminent judge. Keenly interested in solution of human problems, he has
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intelligently weaved the whole theme into chapters with systematic thrust on various
problems of minorities, violations of human rights, forced eviction, role of police,
environment in developing countries, economic crisis a global problem etc. this work is
useful for social scientists, teachers and students in India and abroad.