Human Rights Commission Act, 2000

Institution of legal proceedings by Commission.

11.—(1) The Commission may institute proceedings in any Court of competent jurisdiction for the purpose of obtaining relief of a declaratory or other nature in respect of any matter concerning the human rights of any person or class of persons.

(2) The declaratory relief the Commission may seek to obtain in such proceedings includes relief by way of a declaration that a statute or a provision thereof is invalid having regard to the provisions of the Constitution or was not continued in force by Article 50 of the Constitution.

(3) In this section—

“human rights” means—

(a) the rights, liberties and freedoms conferred on, or guaranteed to, persons by the Constitution, and

(b) the rights, liberties or freedoms conferred on, or guaranteed to, persons by any agreement, treaty or convention to which the State is a party and which has been given the force of law in the State or by a provision of any such agreement, treaty or convention which has been given such force;

“statute” has the same meaning as it has in the Interpretation Act, 1937 .