The NHRC has a dedicated focal point that prioritises complaints alleging harassment of Human Rights Defenders by or at the instance of Public Authorities. Data from the NHRC indicates that the number of such complaints have increased in the last 3 years and most complaints were received from UP, Tamil Nadu & Odisha. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), states that Human Rights are rights that Humans have, simply by the providence of existence. These are not granted by any state or authority and are universally inherent to all human beings across the world. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted in 1948 by UN General Assembly stands as the foundation for all international human rights law. India is not only a signatory to UDHR , but also historically had contributed to the development & adoption of the same. Over the 70 years of its existence, UDHR has enabled the protection & propagation of human rights across various countries. However, there have also been many instances of human right violations perpetrated by governments, groups and individuals. In spite of the efforts of various governments to take cognizance & act upon these human right violations, the incidents do occur at large. In many an instance, people suffering violations are not even aware of the rights and the due process that can secure them justice. In such a context, Human Right Activists/Defenders (HRDs) play a key role in bringing to light Human Right Violations and fight for the respective causes. However, these actions by HRDs could potentially result in a threat from the perpetrators of the violations. Measures are taken globally to protect the rights of such Human Rights Defenders. In India, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken initiatives to protect and provide justice for the Human Rights Defenders. However, there have been growing concerns of harassment of HRDs in the country. In this context, we take a look at the measures in place in India to protect HRDs and provide them. We also look at the trend of such complaints over the last few years. Focal Point for Human Right Defenders set up by NHRC to prioritise complaints The UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, 1998 recognises the importance and legitimacy of the work of Human Rights defenders as well as the need for better protection. In India, the NHRC is mandated under Section 12(i) of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 to encourage the efforts of Non-governmental organizations & institutions working in the field of Human Rights. Furthermore, in compliance with UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, NHRC has taken initiatives to promote the development of protective mechanism for Human Rights Defenders, of which even the State Human Rights Commissions are a part of. As per one of the recommendations of Workshop on Human Rights Defenders – 2009, A Focal Point for Human Rights Defenders was set up by NHRC. The purpose is to prioritise complaints alleging harassment of Human Rights Defenders by or at the instance of Public Authorities. The Focal Point needs to ensure that the complaints of harassment of Human Rights Defenders are placed before the Commission (NHRC) and the directions are complied with on priority. Few of the steps taken by NHRC to protect Human Rights Defenders include the following. Uttar Pradesh followed by Tamil Nadu & Odisha account for the highest number of complaints in the past 4 years. As per data available on the NHRC website, as on date, 62 complaints were registered in 2020 with respect to violations against Human Rights Defenders in India. The trend since 2017-18 indicates that an increasing number of complaints are registered with NHRC. As per NHRC Annual Report, 53 complaints were received for 2015-16, which nearly doubled to 98 the next year. After a fall in 2017-18, the number of cases increased year on year. Based on the information provided in the respective annual reports, it is observed that the number of cases being disposed-off by NHRC has increased. As per the latest annual report of 2017-18, a total of 98 cases were disposed of while this was only 23 during the year 2015-16. Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha on 20September’2020, the government provided information about the number of complaints registered with NHRC regarding violations of Human Rights of HRDs in various states. As per this information, Uttar Pradesh has accounted for the highest number of complaints during the period 2017-20 (till 31 August 2020) with a total of 52 such complaints. It ought to be noted that the number of complaints from U.P has increased year on year with 3, 15 & 26 in 2017-18, 2018-19 & 2019-20 respectively.