The NHRC sources said today that noting the views of the Allahabad High Court and Justice Rangnath Mishra, and the then NHRC chairperson; the Uttar Pradesh government had issued a notification on April 4, 1996 under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 to set up a State Human Rights Commission.

The logical sequence of this action would have been a further notification to appoint the chairperson and members to the State Commission, Justice M N Venkatachaliah said in a letter to Chief Minister Kalyan Singh recently.

The sources said a substantial percentage of complaints received by the NHRC are from Uttar Pradesh. In 1997-98, of the 36,792 complaints received from the entire country, 17,638 were from UP; and in 1996-97 the corresponding figures were 20,833 and 8787.

TheNHRC chairperson said that a State Commission would be more accessible to the victims of human rights violations. It would also obviate the need for the aggrieved persons to approach courts and add to the heavy workload of the courts.