SC raps NRC officials, says focus on error-free list of citizens
New Delhi, Aug 7 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday told Assam's National Register of Citizens (NRC) Coordinator Prateek Hajela to ensure an error-free final NRC, instead of giving interviews to the media.
The bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman warned Hajela, and Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RGCC) Sailesh to be "cautious in future".
Hajela had told the media that any valid document would be accepted as proof of citizenship during the hearing on complaints and objections by those left out in the draft NRC.
Taking suo motu cognizance of Hajela's interview to a national daily, Justice Gogoi said: "Where is the necessity, scope and authority in you to make such a statement? Your job is to carry on with the draft and prepare the final NRC."
Displeased over the action of Hajela, Justice Nariman said: "Speaking for myself, I was appalled by your action... And don't forget you are an officer of the court."
Telling Hajela that "whatever you say, reflects on us", the bench asked: "Should we send you both (including RGCC) to jail for contempt?"
The court told Hajela that he was first an officer of the court and should not have spoken to the media about the NRC.
"It is most unfortunate on your part as well as the RGCC. Your job is to prepare the final NRC. Your job is not to go to press holding brief for somebody," the bench said.
The court reminded RGCC Sailesh that on an earlier occasion, too, he was warned by the court on his actions vis-a-vis preparation of the NRC.
"And you, we had warned you before," Justice Gogoi told Sailesh.
At the outset of the hearing, Justice Gogoi, holding the copy of the newspaper in which Hajela had given the interview about ongoing exercise for preparing final NRC for Assam, asked him "what is this?
"Are you in any manner concerned with the claims and objections? What is this question of new documents", Justice Gogoi asked Hajela telling him that his job was only to carry on with the draft NRC and prepare final citizens register.
Justice Gogoi also read out the order passed by the court in its last hearing on July 31.
In its last order, the court had said: "... what has been published is only the Complete Draft NRC which naturally being a draft cannot be the basis of any action by any authority."
The court had also recorded the statement of Attorney General K.K. Venugopal that the Central government was in the process of "preparing modalities in the form of standard operating procedures" to deal with claims and objections through a fair process.
Having hauled up Hajela and RGCC Sailesh for exceeding their brief and speaking to the media, the court said that next hearing on the matter would take place on August 16 when court would consider the standard operating procedures being prepared by the Centre for dealing with claims and objections to the draft NRC.
In pursuance to July 2 top court's direction, the draft NRC was published on July 30.
It will also pass further orders with regard to the time schedule and different steps that would be undertaken for preparig the final NRC.
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Bengal: Over 55 pc turnout till 1 pm in repoll in 15 booths of 2 assembly seats
Kolkata (PTI): Over 55 per cent turnout was recorded till 1 pm in repoll in 15 booths of two assembly constituencies in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Saturday, an official said.
Voting was underway more or less peacefully at 11 polling stations of Magrahat Paschim assembly constituency and four in Diamond Harbour, where the EC ordered repoll a day ago, following reports of electoral malpractices.
However, at booth number 179 at Chanda Primary School of Diamond Harbour seat, the Trinamool Congress alleged that a specially abled voter and his mother were harassed by central forces. The alleged incident sparked protests by party workers and locals.
The TMC claimed that the voter's mother, who had entered the booth to assist him, and her son were detained for a considerable time by central forces over alleged rule violations.
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"TMC leaders Manmohini Biswas and Pratik Ur Rahman reached the spot and led the protests, with residents terming the action unwarranted harassment. The matter has been taken care of by our officials there," an official of the poll body said.
Polling was otherwise peaceful across 15 booths in the area, he added.
Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, the official said, adding that till 1 pm, the turnout was 55.57 per cent.
Magrahat Paschim registered 56.33 per cent voter turnout, while in Diamond Harbour, it was 54.9 per cent, a poll official stated.
Voting in these two assembly constituencies was held in the second phase of the state elections on April 29.
The repoll order was based on reports received from returning officers and observers of the two constituencies and "material circumstances", the Election Commission official said.
In Magrahat Paschim, TMC's Md Samim Ahamed Molla is pitted against BJP nominee Goursundar Ghosh, while Abdul Majid Halder of the Congress and ISF candidate Abdul Aziz Al Hassan are also in the fray.
TMC candidate Panna Lal Halder is contesting against Dipak Kumar Halder of the BJP in the Diamond Harbour seat. Goutam Bhattacharya of the Congress and CPI(M)'s Samar Naiya are among other candidates.
The BJP had alleged rampant electoral malpractices in certain polling stations of both the assembly seats under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, which is represented by TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
The EC had deputed its special observer, Subrata Gupta, to fact-check the allegations from the ground.
The poll panel will decide on repolling in the Falta assembly constituency on Saturday.
The West Bengal assembly elections were held in two phases -- April 23 and April 29 -- amid unprecedented security arrangements.
Counting of votes will take place on May 4.
