National Commission for Minorities (NCM)

Imagine a watchdog that guards the rights of six religious communities. Then imagine it with no Chairperson, no Vice-Chairperson and no Members for 15 months. That is what happened to India’s National Commission for Minorities after April 2025. Its story shows both what the body does and how fragile it can be.

1What Is the National Commission for Minorities?

• The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) is the government body that watches over the rights of religious minorities.
• Small groups can be outvoted or overlooked. The NCM exists so that this does not happen.
• It was set up under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992.
• It evaluates how minorities are doing. It also monitors the safeguards given to them by the Constitution and by law.
• When a minority community faces discrimination, this is the body that takes up its cause.
• Think of a small community whose complaint is ignored by a local office. It can take that complaint to the NCM.
• The NCM can then look into the matter. It can also suggest steps to the government.
• The Ministry of Minority Affairs handles the Commission’s nominations and its work.

2Which Six Communities Are Notified Minorities?

• India notifies six religious communities as minorities. They are Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains.
• “Notified” means the government formally recognises the community as a minority.
• Only notified communities come under the NCM’s protection.
• The notifications are made under Section 2(c) of the NCM Act, 1992.
• Five communities were notified first. Jains became the sixth, twenty-two years after the Act.
• Jains were the last to join. They were notified on 27 January 2014.
• The framework covers religion only. A group that is a minority by language or ethnicity does not get NCM protection automatically.

3How Is the NCM Built, and What Can It Do?

• The NCM has seven people. They are a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson and five Members.
• At least five of the seven, including the Chairperson, must come from the notified minorities. So minorities are represented by their own members.
• Each member serves a three-year term.
• For inquiries, it holds the powers of a civil court. It can summon witnesses, take oaths and demand documents.
• That lets it get to the truth of a complaint, like a court would.
• Members are nominated by the Central Government. They are not elected.
• Each member can hold office only for three years from the date of joining.
• But its core role is advisory. It can expose a problem loudly. Only the government can fix it.

4How Did the NCM Begin?

• The story starts in 1978. The government set up a Minorities Commission by a resolution of the Home Ministry.
• It had no law behind it. So the government could change or end it at will.
• In 1984, it moved to the new Ministry of Welfare.
• In 1992, Parliament passed the NCM Act. A temporary arrangement became a permanent, accountable body.
• The Commission under the new Act was constituted on 17 May 1993.
• So the order is simple. First a resolution in 1978. Then an Act in 1992. Then a Commission in 1993.
• Exam questions often ask for the year of the Act. The answer is 1992, not 1978.

5Is the NCM a Constitutional Body?

• No. Unlike the National Commissions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the NCM is not constitutional.
• It exists through an ordinary Act of Parliament. No Article of the Constitution creates it.
• This matters. A constitutional body is hard to weaken, because it needs a constitutional amendment.
• An ordinary law can be changed or diluted by any future Parliament.
• Other bodies also look after minority concerns. One is the Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities. So the NCM is not the only mechanism.

6What Reforms Are Proposed?

• Some propose giving the NCM constitutional status, like its SC and ST counterparts. That would make it harder to dilute.
• Reformers also want it to act on its own, without waiting for a complaint. They want it to be able to penalise too.
• Today it can only recommend. It cannot force a state or agency to act.
• Without enforcement power, its findings risk being ignored.
• The Commission also cannot act well when it has no head. The 2025 vacancy showed this clearly.

7What Happened When the NCM Had No Leaders?

• On 22 April 2025, Chairperson Iqbal Singh Lalpura’s term ended. He had held the post since 13 April 2022.
• No successor was named. The Commission had no Chairperson, no Vice-Chairperson and no Members.
• This went on for about 15 months.
• Members are nominated by the government. So filling the posts depends on the executive moving quickly.
• When the government delays, the watchdog meant to check it falls silent.
• On 16 July 2026, the Ministry of Minority Affairs notified the new team.
• Harjit Singh Grewal became Chairperson. S. Munawari Begum became Vice-Chairperson, and Glenn E. Souza Ticlo became a Member.
• Grewal assumed office on 21 July 2026. Each will serve a three-year term from taking charge.

8What Should You Remember for Exams?

Must Know

• The NCM is a statutory body under the NCM Act, 1992.
• It has a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson and five Members.
• Six communities are notified as minorities.
• Jains were added on 27 January 2014.

Good to Know

• It began in 1978 as a non-statutory Minorities Commission.
• Each member serves three years.
• It holds civil-court powers for inquiries.
• It is advisory and cannot enforce.

Great to Know

• The NCM is a constitutional body (Trap).
• Every minority group is covered by the NCM (Trap).
• The NCM is the only minority-protection body (Trap).
• The post was vacant from April 2025 to July 2026.