At the NHRC's 33rd anniversary event, Justice V Ramasubramanian said the CJI's office faces an Agni Pariksha every minute. He said human rights bodies must reinvent themselves as digital manipulation, climate change and inequality deepen risks.
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Newdelhi,Oct 12, 2026 16:44 IST
National Human Rights Commission chairperson Justice V Ramasubramanian (retd) on Monday said the office of the Chief Justice of India is put to an "Agni Pariksha" or test of fire every minute, "not necessarily by sacred souls" at all times. He said the office of the CJI has become the "single most important, the most powerful, the most vibrant, and at the same time, the most vulnerable office in the country".
Ramasubramanian made the remarks at an event marking the NHRC's 33rd anniversary, with Chief Justice of India Surya Kant attending as chief guest. The comments came against the backdrop of multiple petitions being filed in the Supreme Court amid the ongoing protests in Delhi.
Addressing the gathering, the NHRC chairperson said, "The office of the Chief Justice of India is an office which is put to the test of fire, 'Agni Pariksha', every day, nay, every minute, not necessarily by sacred souls at all times." He also thanked the CJI for accepting the invitation to attend the event.
"Therefore, the CJI's acceptance of our invitation to be the chief guest, especially at a time when he is in great demand, is something remarkable. I owe a great deal of gratitude to him. Thank you, Chief. Given a chance, he may like to stay back," he said, without elaborating. The remarks drew a light reaction from the gathering and the CJI.
Ramasubramanian said the NHRC was born exactly 33 years ago on October 12, 1993. "In the past 33 years of its existence, the Commission has done a commendable job in promoting and protecting the human rights of the people of this country," he said.
He said that until a few decades ago, the approach to human rights issues was usually "two-dimensional". "We presumed that it was citizen versus state. But it is not so anymore. Non-state actors now play a huge role, especially after the digital revolution has happened," he said. He added that in the digital world, opinions can be manipulated, thought processes can be influenced, and physical and mental activities can be monitored.
Warning of the risks of this trend, he said the day is not far when "man will become a machine which may be more mechanical than the machine, and machine may become a human without being humanistic". He said that as the NHRC marks its foundation day, it is time to pledge to "reinvent ourselves to face new challenges, reaffirm our commitment to the cause of promotion and protection of human rights and re-engineer our personalities to improve our delivery system".
Underlining that today's challenges are more complex than they were a century ago, the NHRC chairperson said human rights institutions across the world must "reinvent themselves to continue to be relevant". He said humankind is facing problems on a scale unlike anything seen before.
Since the start of the Industrial Revolution in 1750, more than two trillion tonnes of CO2 have been released into the atmosphere, he said. "If we continue on our current path, parts of our planet will become uninhabitable due to extreme heat," he said, adding, "Climate migration will increase. Food and water shortages will become more frequent. Hurricanes and floods will claim more and more victims."
He said the climate crisis goes hand-in-hand with another global problem, socioeconomic inequality on an unprecedented scale. The consequences of global warming, he said, will be felt most by the world's socially and economically vulnerable, who will be hit hardest by drought, shortage, heat waves, rising sea levels and forced migration.
"The world's 26 richest people own as much capital as the poorest 3.8 billion humans combined. The owners of half the world's assets would fit into a single classroom. It's no coincidence that climate and wealth are so closely linked, as they essentially share a common origin: fossil capitalism," he said. He added that fossil fuels have been the source of humanity's extraordinary progress over the past two centuries, but also the "source of the extraordinary problems facing us today".
At the NHRC's 33rd anniversary event, Ramasubramanian combined praise for the institution's work with a warning that both human rights bodies and the wider world must adapt to new pressures, ranging from digital influence to climate change and inequality.
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