Draft NRC can't lead to any action by any authority: Supreme Court
New Delhi, July 31: In an obvious move to douse the uproar following the publication of the draft NRC, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said the list cannot be the basis for any coercive action by any authority.
"What has been published is a complete draft NRC. It can't be the basis for any action by any authority," said a bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman as Attorney General K.K. Venugopal pointed to the serious human problem.
Referring to the statement by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the fears of influx to adjoining States, the Attorney General said claims and objection by all those left out in the draft NRC have to be considered and would involve a proper hearing with the local registrar issuing notice and calling for documents as provided under the statute.
Saying that the claims and objections will have to be considered carefully, the Attorney General told the court that "full opportunity must be given to all".
As Venugopal said there may be a need for biometric proof, the court refused to get into it.
"Mr. AG, at the moment we don't express any opinion. Our silence should not be construed as agreement or consent," Justice Gogoi said.
The court was also informed by the Attorney General that the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) giving the modalities for dealing with the claims and procedures will be prepared by the concerned ministry by August 15.
Fixing August 16 as next date of hearing, the bench observed that the SOP must be fair.
At the outset of the hearing, the State Co-ordinator of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Prateek Hajela, informed the court about the compliance of the court's order with the publication of draft NRC on July 30.
On a question by Justice Gogoi about how much time it will take to publish the final NRC, saying "we have read somewhere that it will be published by December 31", Hajela said: "We have not fixed any date."
The draft NRC would be open for inspection till August 7, he said. Thereafter, from August 8, training of officials to deal with the claims and objection would commence.
The filing of the claims and the objections would commence from August 30 and will last till September 28.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Andhra milk contamination: Death toll rises to 13, seven undergoing treatment
Rajamahendravaram (Andhra Pradesh)(PTI): The death toll in the suspected milk adulteration incident in East Godavari district has risen to 13, while seven persons continue to receive treatment at hospitals in Rajamahendravaram, an official said on Thursday.
Health department officials said the cluster of cases was first noticed on February 22 after several elderly residents were admitted to hospitals with symptoms such as anuria, vomiting, abdominal pain and acute renal dysfunction requiring dialysis.
Residents from Chowdeswaranagar and Swaroopanagar areas of Lalacheruvu reportedly fell ill after consuming milk suspected to be adulterated and supplied in the locality.
ALSO READ: Maha woman rescued in Udupi reunited with family
"The death toll in the suspected milk adulteration case in East Godavari district has reached 13, while seven persons are undergoing treatment at hospitals in Rajamahendravaram," the official said.
Authorities noted that strong epidemiological indicators point towards milk adulteration as the probable cause and multiple departments have initiated coordinated action.
Medical examinations revealed elevated levels of blood urea and serum creatinine among the affected persons, suggesting possible toxic exposure, they said.
Preliminary investigations indicated milk consumption as the main source of exposure. The milk was reportedly supplied to nearly 106 families by Varalakshmi Milk Dairy in Narasapuram village of Korukonda mandal, following which the supply was immediately halted.
Emergency medical camps have been set up in the affected localities with doctors and ambulance services deployed round the clock, officials said.
Rapid Response Teams comprising the district surveillance officer, physicians, microbiologists, paediatricians, forensic experts, epidemiologists and nephrologists were constituted to handle the situation.
Meanwhile, the Food Safety Department inspected the dairy unit linked to the supply and collected samples of milk, paneer, ghee, drinking water and vinegar for surveillance and enforcement.
The samples have been sent to laboratories, including JNTU Kakinada and VIMTA Labs in Hyderabad for microbial, physio-chemical and toxic adulterant analysis.
Blood and urine samples of affected persons have also been forwarded for detailed toxicological examination, officials added.
The suspected milk vendor, Addala Ganeswararao (33), a resident of Narasapuram village, has been taken into custody and the dairy unit associated with the supply has been sealed.
CLUES (Crime scene Linking Understanding Evidence and Science) and forensic teams inspected the premises, while post-mortem samples were sent to the Regional Forensic Laboratory in Vijayawada. Police said an investigation is underway to trace the distribution network and identify affected consumers.
The Animal Husbandry Department also formed a team of four veterinary doctors, collected 41 milk samples along with cattle feed and water samples, and sent them to the Veterinary Biological Research Institute in Vijayawada for analysis.
Meanwhile, the police registered a case under Section 194 of the BNSS and Section 174 of the CrPC.
