Who among the following can be the chairman of the National Human Rights Commission ?

According to the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) was originally required to be a retired Chief Justice of India [c1][t1]. While the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Act, 2019, expanded this eligibility to include a person who has been a judge of the Supreme Court [c5][t6], the options provided in the question follow the traditional statutory requirement. Specifically, a serving judge of the Supreme Court or High Court is ineligible for the chairmanship, as the position is reserved for retired judicial officers of the highest level [c1][t2]. Option 3, 'Only a retired Chief Justice of India', is the most accurate among the choices provided, reflecting the core qualification before the 2019 amendment and the general requirement for a retired senior judicial figure from the Supreme Court [c3][t6].

Sources

1. [1] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 57: National Human Rights Commission > COMPOSITION > p. 473
2. [2] https://nhrc.nic.in/assets/uploads/publication/NHRCbrochure.pdf
3. [3] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 58: State Human Rights Commission > 2019 AMENDMENT ACT > p. 479
4. [4] Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: RIGHTS IN THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION > National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) > p. 42
5. [5] https://www.shrc.tn.gov.in/human-rights-act.html