No discrimination in NRC process, assures Rajnath
New Delhi, Aug 3: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday assured that there would be no discrimination or unnecessary harassment in the entire updation process of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and said it was being carried out in a fair and transparent manner.
Responding to a Short Duration Discussion over the issue in the Rajya Sabha which saw disruptions and adjournments of the proceedings in the last few days, the Minister said that the government was committed to complete the procedure in a time bound manner.
"I am reiterating that it is not the final NRC. It is just a draft NRC. Adequate opportunity will be provided to everyone for the claims and objections. Despite it, if anybody's name remains out of the list, he can approach the Foreigners Tribunal," Rajnath Singh said.
He also assured that there would be no coercive action against anybody.
The Minister said that the NRC updation exercise was being carried out in a totally fair, transparent, non discriminatory and legal manner.
"The entire process is being carried out under the supervision of the Supreme Court. It is also monitoring the exercise on a routine basis,. Nobody will be harassed. There has been no discrimination and there would be no discrimination," he said ridiculing the allegations levelled by some opposition parties.
He said that the draft NRC has been published in accordance with the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985 when Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister.
The decision to update it was taken by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2005.
The Minister also hit out at some political parties, saying they are trying to create an atmosphere of fear among the people.
"It is unfortunate that some persons with vested interest are running a propaganda on social media so that the issue can be internationalised and communal harmony be affected," he said.
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SC quashes FIR against Karnataka BJP MLA R Ashoka in land allotment corruption case
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has quashed an FIR registered by the Karnataka Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) against former deputy chief minister and BJP MLA R Ashoka in a land allotment corruption case.
A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and Vipul M Pancholi said the FIR shows a concerted effort on the part of the complainants to cast aspersions on the credibility of the appellant as a public leader and impute ill intention on him.
"The actions against the appellant ex-facie appear to be politically motivated and thereby afflicted by malice, even if delay was kept aside, the prosecution of the appellant could not proceed in the eyes of the law," the bench said.
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In this case, an FIR was registered by the Karnataka ACB to probe the allegations made regarding illegalities in land allotments during Ashoka's tenure as head of the Bengaluru South Taluk Bagar Hukum Land Regularisation Committee.
A complaint was filed that during his tenure, illegal allotment of government land meant for SC/ST and the poor was made to his family members, political followers and corporators.
The top court referred to India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's 'Tryst with Destiny' speech in which he said, "The service of India means the service of the millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity."
Setting aside a Karnataka High Court order that dismissed Ashoka's petition seeking quashing of the FIR against him, the apex court observed that the proceedings were initiated against Ashoka, a public servant, without obtaining a sanction order from the state government.
"Not to overextend the issue, it is seen that the record is conspicuously silent on any sanction having been obtained against the appellant. Since no investigation could have begun without such sanction, the preliminary report of the ACB, subsequent FIR and any and all proceedings thereafter have operated in the face of an express bar," the bench said.
