NRC minus declared foreigners, D-voters and their families

HC stamp on Hajela note

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, June 22: With the Gauhati High Court putting its stamp on the issue afresh, it is official now even before the publication of the NRC that the names of people declared as foreigners (DFs) and D-voters, their brothers, sisters and other family members are not going to be included in the NRC being updated.

Earlier State NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela, though a notification issued on May 2 this year, instructed all deputy commissioners not to include names of any persons declared as foreigners, D-voters and their family members in the NRC being updated in the State. However, the notification was challenged by one Ajjul Haque in the High Court that issued a fresh note upholding the notification issued by Hajela on May 2 this year. The note has virtually closed the NRC door for all declared foreigners, D-voters and their family members.

In its May 2 notification, the Office of State NRC Coordination had referred to a former judgment on the issue pronounced by the High Court and a letter from the Registrar General of India (RGI).

In his notification, Hajela had asked the deputy commissioners to coordinate closely with border SPs in their respective jurisdictions to ensure submission of lists of all declared foreigners, their brothers, sisters and other family members with their updated address details in compliance with the judgement of the Gauhati High Court. Hajela had also asked them to ensure that fresh efforts were made by the SPs to ascertain whether those in detention camps had applied for NRC or not, and in case they had applied, to collect their application receipt number (ARN) details.

While advocate Mehmud Passa represented petitioner Ajijul Haque in the High Court, the State NRC authority was presented by advocates Nilay Dutta and Anita Burma. The High Court bench comprised Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Rumi Kumari Phukan.