Mrunal Manmay Dash

Bhubaneswar: Former Orissa High Court judge Justice Bijoy Krishna Patel has been appointed as the chairperson of Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC). Justice Patel will be replacing Justice Bimala Prasad Das, who left the position on 14 November 2020.

Born to advocate Ramchandra Patel and Laxmipriya Patel in Sundergarh on January 24, 1953, Bijoy passed his high school certificate examination (HSCE) from Bhawani Shankar High School in Sundergarh.

He graduated with honours in political science in first division from Gangadhar Meher (GM) College in 1972. Later, he pursued masters in political science from Vani Vihar in 1974 and went on to pass LLB from Delhi University in 1978.

As per information obtained from Orissa High Court website, Patel served as Justice of District and Sessions Judge, Bolangir from 1996 to 1999 and thereafter moved to Puri where he had a stint as District and Sessions Judge, Puri 2 till 2001.

Justice Patel was Member-Secretary, Orissa State Legal Services Authority, Cuttack for 3 years and Chairman Orissa Sales Tax Tribunal, Cuttack between 2005 and 2007. He also served as Principal Secretary to Government of Orissa, Law Department, Bhubaneswar.

Odisha Human Rights Commission was constituted on 27 January 2000 and started functioning from 11 July 2003, when Justice D.P. Mohapatra joined as its first Chairperson.

The Commission mainly enquires into violation of Human Rights by a public authority, namely; rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the International Covenants and enforceable by Courts in India, and issues appropriate direction necessary for the protection of such rights.

(Edited By Suryakant Jena)

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