– Mohd.Naushad Khan
The National Commission for Minorities (NCM), formed to protect minority rights in India, is currently functioning without a Chairperson or full panel. The last Chairperson, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, retired in April 2025. No new appointments have been made since then.
Since December 2024, five members, including the Chairperson, have stepped down. The NCM Act, 1992 mandates seven members. These should include a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson, with representation from six notified minorities: Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis, and Jains. But as of now, the Commission is severely understaffed. This was reported by Ishita Mishra in The Hindu on July 7.
The NCM is under the Ministry of Minority Affairs. It has quasi-judicial powers. Its main role is to monitor and protect the legal and constitutional rights of minorities. But this role is under threat due to the leadership vacuum.
This is not the first time the Commission has faced delays. In 2017, it was headless for months. Again in 2021, the Delhi High Court had to ask the Centre to fill the vacant posts. Concerns over its effectiveness are long-standing.
Tahir Mahmood, ex-Chairperson and author of Minorities Commission (1978–2015): Minor Role in Major Affairs, has criticized the body. He said the NCM is now a “showpiece.” He claims it serves as a “stopgap” for loyal politicians or a retirement spot for bureaucrats, not as a strong institution.
A former NCM member, who did not want to be named, agreed. He said appointments often go to politically connected individuals. He pointed out that Lalpura had contested Punjab Assembly polls on a BJP ticket. Before him, BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi held the post.
Naqvi declined to speak on the current delays. But he agreed that full leadership improves the Commission’s work. “The NCM still functions, but full membership makes it more effective,” he said.
Lalpura blamed the Congress-led UPA government. He said the UPA weakened the NCM by suggesting that a minority Prime Minister, like Dr. Manmohan Singh, made the Chairperson role less important.
The leadership gap has also hit the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI). This body protects minority educational rights and advises the government. But since its Chairperson, Justice (Retd.) Narender Kumar Jain, retired in September 2023, it has only one member—Sahid Akhtar.
As appointments remain pending, experts and ex-officials warn of damage. They say these delays weaken the purpose of such bodies meant to serve minority voices.
