At a UN forum, a delegation from India put forward the position that human rights bodies should guard against selective application and political influence, while remaining attentive to the cultural and historical circumstances of member states. India's government put forward its position that human rights protections ought to apply uniformly across all people, with no selective application based on who is involved. Speaking on behalf of India's Permanent Mission at the United Nations, Anuj Swarup — who holds the rank of First Secretary — took the floor during Monday's gathering of the UNGA Third Committee, convened as part of its 81st Session, to address the agenda item covering the Human Rights Council's report. Swarup conveyed that engagement with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the OHCHR would continue on the basis of mutual trust and partnership, with a stated commitment to advancing human rights universally and without differential treatment, while also expressing a view that UN human rights bodies should operate free from political influence and be attentive to cultural and historical context, so that their role as an impartial reference point for the international community can be maintained. The comments came after India raised objections to the OHCHR over its statements regarding protests in Delhi. India's government characterised the remarks as an intrusion into matters it considers strictly domestic, rejecting them as both unwelcome and beyond the bounds of outside commentary. The UN human rights office flagged concern about accounts of widespread detentions — reportedly targeting protesters, organisers, civil society members, lawyers, and journalists both before and during the day's large-scale demonstrations in Delhi — while a government spokesperson put forward the position that the country's approach to human rights is grounded in its historical traditions of pluralism and peaceful coexistence, adding that, as a member of the Human Rights Council, it has participated in dialogue and cooperation, and that its status as the world's most populous democracy underpins a stated commitment to dignity for all citizens. Swarup noted that the nation's welfare infrastructure now extends to upwards of a billion people, and that roughly 250 million individuals had escaped multidimensional poverty across the preceding ten years. Citing subsidised food distribution reaching roughly 800 million people, no-cost health coverage extended to around 600 million, and the opening of 320 million bank accounts for women, the delegate outlined what he described as a people-focused development model, adding in a statement that the country remained committed to advancing and safeguarding human rights for all and to working alongside fellow member states toward a more effective, objective, and credible Council. Fifteen nations secured seats on the Human Rights Council through a vote held at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, with their membership covering the 2027-2029 period. Spanning four continents, the fifteen-nation roster takes in Brazil, Burundi, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Nepal, Nigeria, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Uruguay, and Zambia. At the UNGA Third Committee's session on Indigenous Peoples' rights, India took the floor to contest specific references in a UN report that touched on outstanding claims under the Forest Rights Act. Covering the demarcation, registration, and titling of lands, territories, and resources belonging to indigenous peoples, the document was put together by Albert Barume, who holds the role of Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. The report noted that numerous applications lodged under the Forest Rights Act across India — community-level petitions in particular — had yet to receive a determination, and Swarup took issue with that characterisation, telling the body that while the Act's recognition of both individual and collective rights was not in dispute, his delegation objected to the reference to India in paragraph 42 on the grounds that it lacked evidentiary support. Data supporting the claim that a large volume of Forest Rights Act cases remain pending traces back to a single individual's submission. No verified figures back the assertion. He contended that drawing on unverified material in this way left the report's thoroughness and neutrality open to doubt. Drawing on government data, Swarup noted that applications lodged under the Forest Rights Act had reached upwards of 5.4 million, with four out of every five cases already resolved and land titles handed to more than 2.5 million claimants. Alongside the offer to furnish the Special Rapporteur with updated figures so that entries resting on unverified submissions could be corrected, Swarup conveyed that a commitment to development — one reaching every community without exception — remained central to the country's position, as did its longstanding backing for the protection and advancement of indigenous peoples' rights.
