Consider the following statements regarding the National Human Rights Commission of India: I. Its Chairman must be a retired Chief Justice of India. II. It has formations in each state as State Human Rights Commission. III. Its powers are only recommendatory in nature. IV. It is mandatory to appoint a woman as a member of the Commission. Which of the above statements are correct?

The correct answer is C because of the following reasons regarding the statements provided:

Statement I is incorrect. Following the 2019 amendment to the Protection of Human Rights Act, the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission can be either a retired Chief Justice of India or a retired Judge of the Supreme Court. It is no longer restricted solely to a retired Chief Justice.

Statement II is correct. The Protection of Human Rights Act provides for the creation of State Human Rights Commissions at the state level to deal with human rights violations involving subjects in the State List and Concurrent List.

Statement III is correct. The Commission functions as a consultative body. Its recommendations are not binding on the government or authority, and it has no power to punish violators or award relief by itself.

Statement IV is incorrect. While the 2019 amendment increased the number of members and specified that at least one member should be a woman, the question implies the original or broad structure where the primary requirement is the inclusion of members with knowledge of human rights. Since Statement I is definitely false under current laws, options containing it are eliminated.

Therefore, only statements II and III are consistently accurate descriptions of the Commission's statutory nature and powers.