New Delhi: The NHRC on Thursday said it has taken cognisance of "misuse of its name and logo" by some NGOs registered under nomenclatures which are "deceptively similar" to it, and issued notices to authorities in all states and UTs to take action within two weeks.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), in a statement, observed that continuation of such "illusory names may erode public trust, lead to misuse of mandate, possible misappropriation of funds and create confusion for public authorities" in distinguishing between a statutory body like the NHRC and NGOs.
The rights panel said it had earlier expressed concern through various platforms regarding the "misuse of its name and logo" and informed authorities concerned to take action against the people behind such "dubious organisations".
However, violations continue to come to its notice, the statement said.
The NHRC said it has been receiving complaints from individual complainants as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) across the country alleging violation of human rights.
"While examining these complaints, the Commission has observed that several NGOs have got themselves registered under names deceptively similar to that of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)," the statement said.
Recently, the Commission came across an NGO registered as 'National Human Rights Council (NHRC)', reportedly registered with the government of Delhi in 2022. Its publicity material claims, “Registered by Govt. of NITI Aayog”, “Registered by Ministry of Corporate Affairs, India”, “Registered under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India” and association with “Andhra Pradesh Human Rights Council Association”, the statement said.