New Delhi, May 25 (IANS): The Delhi High Court on Friday said the NHRC will decide on the representation of a lawyer who moved the court seeking probe into the death of 13 persons in police firing in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher said the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has already taken up the matter on its own and sought a report from the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary and police.

The court was hearing a plea by advocate A. Rajarajan who sought NHRC intervention, saying it will help protect human rights and grant justice to the victims.

The court asked the lawyer to appear before the NHRC on May 29 and place his representation.

Rajarajan told the court that the NHRC had refused to consider his representation for an urgent hearing while ignoring the ground realities in Thoothukudi and instead sought a report from the Chief Secretary and police.

He said the commission must use its extraordinary power to protect human rights, instead of confining its duty of receiving reports from perpetrators, conspirators and executors of human rights violation.

The plea said the NHRC was bound by duty to protect citizens against killings due to unlawful police firing.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, police fired on protesters demanding the closure of the Sterlite Copper smelter plant in Thoothukudi due to pollution and health issues.