Minorities Commission: Minor Role in Major Affairs (PB)

The Minorities Commission, established in 1978 under a Government resolution, was brought under parliamentary legislation fourteen years later as the National Commission for Minorities. It is supposed to be an important constituent of the human rights enforcement mechanism of India. The author of this book took over as the sixth Chairman of the Commission in 1996 and held the position through three successive governments until November 1999. This book offers a first-hand account of the origin, development, working, powers, functions, shortcomings and handicaps of the Commission, assesses its reports and contribution over twenty three years, and critically evaluates its role in the affairs of the nation.

Professor Syed Tahir Mahmood has been in the field of legal research, writing and teaching for over 37 years. He began his career in Aligarh and later served the research faculty of the Indian Law Institute in Delhi. He joined the Faculty of Law at the Delhi University in 1974 and rose to the position of its Dean, which he occupied till the beginning of 1995. In 1996 the Government of India invited him to serve the National Commission for Minorities as its Chairman, in which position he also became a member of the National Human Rights Commission. Professor Mahmood has authored a large number of books on various aspects of law. His works on Hindu and Islamic laws are acclaimed at home and abroad.