SC orders Centre, Assam to transfer NRC coordinator

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 18

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the Centre and Assam Government to immediately transfer the state’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) coordinator Prateek Hajela — a 1995 batch Assam-Meghalaya cadre IAS officer — to his home state Madhya Pradesh.

Hajela was appointed the NRC coordinator by the top court to oversee the finalisation and publication of Assam NRC data.

A Bench of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, Justice SA Bobde and Justice Rohinton F Nariman ordered Hajela to be sent on deputation to Madhya Pradesh for the maximum possible period.

As Attorney General KK Venugopal wondered if such an order be passed without any reason, the CJI said, “No order will be without a reason.”

However, the Bench chose not to disclose the reason for Hajela’s sudden transfer even as media speculated that there was some threat to his life.

The Bench will now take up petitions on Assam NRC on November 26, nine days after the CJI – a native of Assam – retires.

Assam, which had faced influx of people from Bangladesh since the early 20th century, is the only state having an NRC, which was first prepared in 1951. The final Assam NRC data was released on August 31 excluding names of over 19 lakh applicants in the state. A total of 3,30,27,661 people had applied to be included in the NRC. Of them, 3,11,21,004 were included while 19,06,657 stood excluded from it.