The study concludes that although the NHRC has been instrumental in reshaping Indian penology toward a rights-based paradigm, sustained institutional strengthening and enforceable mechanisms are essential to achieve substantive reform. The transformation of Indian penology from a predominantly retributive framework to a more reformative and rights-oriented model has been significantly influenced by the establishment and functioning of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Constituted under the Protection of Human Rights Act, the NHRC has played a pivotal role in monitoring custodial conditions, addressing custodial violence, advocating prison reforms, and promoting compliance with constitutional and international human rights standards. This paper evaluates the Commission’s interventions in prison administration, including its guidelines on custodial deaths, prison inspections, mental health care of inmates, and protection of vulnerable groups such as women, children, and undertrial prisoners. It critically examines the extent to which the NHRC has influenced legislative reforms, judicial activism, and administrative accountability within the Indian penal system. While the Commission has contributed to greater transparency and the mainstreaming of human rights discourse in penology, structural constraints—such as recommendatory powers and implementation gaps—continue to limit its transformative potential.