THE PRESENT SET UP OF THE STATE COMMISSION

PROFILES OF CHAIRPERSON AND MEMBERS

Hon'ble Dr. Justice Aftab H. Saikia – Chairperson

Born on 7.4.1949 at village Dampur under Hajo Police Station in the District of Kamrup. Obtained B.Sc with Distinction from Cotton College, Guwahati in 1969. Obtained LL.B. and LL.M. from Gauhati University (G.U.) in the year 1974 and 1982 respectively. He was enrolled as an Advocate with Bar Council of Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh on 9.8.1974 and since then practiced in Civil, Criminal, Constitutional, Service and allied matters for 26 years in the Gauhati High Court at Guwahati and other outlying Benches in the North East including the Subordinate Courts. He was Government Advocate and Additional Public Prosecutor, State of Assam in 1983-86 and also Additional Central Government Standing Counsel in 1991-1994 in the Gauhati High Court. Was Standing Counsel, Guwahati Municipal Corporation in 1996 and Legal Adviser, Pollution Control Board, Assam since 1991 till his elevation as High Court Judge in 2000. He was associated with J.B. Law College, Guwahati under G.U. as Lecturer in 1977-1991 and Principal therein in 1991. He was Guest Lecturer, LL.M. classes in the Department of Law, G.U. in 1983-1985 and 1988-1989 and in University Law College, G.U. in 1991-1993. Also associated with Faculty of Law, G.U. as Member in 1980-91. He was Member, North East Bar Council since 1983 and Vice-Chairman therein in 1996-1998. Was permanent Member, Indian Law Institute, New Delhi. He was designated as Senior Advocate on 3.6.1999. He was appointed as Permanent Judge of the Gauhati High Court on 15.11.2000 and stationed at Principal Seat at Guwahati. Was Judge, Administrative Department, Gauhati High Court and Executive Chairman, Assam State Legal Services Authority, Assam. He was elevated as Chief Justice, High Court of Sikkim on 07.03.2009 (Forenoon). He was awarded Ph.D in Law by the Gauhati University in December, 2009 on the theme “Protection of Education and Cultural Rights of the Minorities under the Constitution of India – An Analytical Study” He is the first sitting Judge or Chief Justice to obtain Ph.D within the Country while in office. Transferred to the High Court Jammu & Kashmir vide Notification No. K.13021/1/2010-US.II(ii) dated 30.03.2010 and took over as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir on 13.04.2010 and retired in the same capacity on April, 6, 2011.  Presently Hon’ble Dr Justice Saikia is the Chairperson, Assam Human Rights Commission with effect from 01.12.2011.  

Shri Jyoti Prasad Chaliha – Hon’ble Member  

Born on 30.12.1943 at Sivasagar district of Assam, he completed his school and college education at his native town Sibsagar. He joined Gauhati University and obtained his M.A. degree in English Literature in 1966. He joined as a lecturer in English Literature in the Department of English Sibsagar College designated as a College of Potential Excellence among 100 colleges all over the country by the University Grants Commission. He was promoted to the rank of Selection grade lecturer in the year 1986 ( now designated as  Associate Professor ). He was also a faculty member of Post-graduate Assamese Section of the college. Later he was appointed as Principal of the College in the year 2002. During his tenure as Principal of the college, the ground work was done and proper scheme had been submitted for selection of the college as a college of potential excellence and on the basis of which the UGC had been satisfied to accord to Sibsagar College the status of a College of Potential Excellence. He was also instrumental in submitting the Self-appraisal  Report before the National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC) constituted by the University Grants Commission on the basis of which the NAAC Peer Team accorded B+ Grade to the College.

Side by side with teaching profession, he was also associated with journalism. His first stint in journalism started when he was a college student in the year 1960 when he got the opportunity to serve the Statesman published from Calcutta (now Kolkota). Besides the Statesman, he also simultaneously served the Amrita Bazar Patrika, another English Daily also published from Kolkota. Also served the Sentinel and the national multi-language national News Agency United News of India (UNI) from 1986 to 2004. Also associated with All India Radio Dibrugarh and Guwahati Centres. As a free lance journalist his innumerable articles on social, political, economic, academic topics and also on Human Rights were published and are now scattered in various Newspapers and Magazines. General Secretary of Sibsagar District Journalists’ Association for several years at a stretch and also of President of Sibsagar Press Club from 1993 to 2008.  

Appointed a Member of Jute Manufacturers’ Development Council (JMDC), a statutory body under the Union Textile Ministry with its Head Office at Kolkata in the year 2006. He also served as Member of Sibsagar Planning Board and also a member of Sibsagar DRDA Vigilance Committee. He was also a Member of Sibsagar District Consumer Redressal Forum, a district level quasi judicial forum for addressing the problems of the consumers constituted under Consumer Protection Act 1986. Also associated with innumerable social and cultural organizations.  Presently, he is Member of the Assam Human Rights Commission.

Shree Tarun Phookan – Member   

Born on 03.01.1950 at Bherbheri (Barhampur) village under Samaguri P.S. in the district of Nagaon, Assam, Shree Tarun Phookan obtained B.Sc degree in 1970 from Nagaon College and LL.B degree from Nagaon Law College in 1975. He served as an assistant teacher for three years at the Swahid Smriti High School, Barhampur, Nagaon, before joining the Nagaon Bar Association in 1975 as an Advocate. He had been a practicing lawyer for five years in both criminal and civil sides till before his appointment as a Judicial officer in 1980. He was first posted at Dibrugarh as a Munsiff cum Judicial Magistrate of the 2^nd Class in the Assam Judiciary under which he served in different capacities at different districts of the State including that of the post of District & Sessions Judge consecutively for about five years at Karimganj, Jorhat and Kamrup respectively till before his superannuated retirement at the age of 60 years on 31.01.2010 after serving as the Special Judge, CBI and NIA, Assam, for about two years. He rendered his services also as a Member of the Foreigners Tribunal, Darrang, Mangaldoi, for about one and a half years after his retirement from which post he had resigned for being appointed as a Member, Assam Human Rights Commission, in which assignment he joined on 16.12.2011.