SC allows use of manpower, tech in finalisation of NRC

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the manpower and technology as required should be used to fulfil the requirement to publish National Register for Citizens in Assam by July 31, 2019.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice R F Nariman allowed a plea by State NRC Prateek Hajela to employ additional manpower, including data operator and Information Technology related personnel, and technology and equipment to set up quality check units at different places in the process of examining the claims.

The bench said it was not required to pass any order in this regard. “If you require manpower and technology, do it,” the bench said.

The court expressed its satisfaction with the coordinator's report stating that adequate staff were deployed for the work of preparing the final NRC even after sparing some for general elections 2019.

Meanwhile, Attorney General K K Venugopal informed the court as per the order, the Home Secretary has decided the 167 companies of para-military forces deployed for the NRC work would not be shifted till July 31, 2019 the deadline fixed for the NRC.

Senior advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for a private person, contended that the petitioner has been declared as a foreigner on the basis of exclusion the name of his sibling, though he has retired from Indian Air Force. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, also representing some individual, said the DNA sample should be allowed to ascertain lineage in the process.

The court said all these matters would be taken up on March 26.

On February 5, the court had slammed the Union government for seeking a direction to suspend for a few weeks the process of verification being undertaken for the NRC in view of general elections.

It, however, had allowed 2,000 state employees who were so far engaged in the NRC work to be spared for the election duties. As many as 3457 would continue to work for the NRC, it directed.

The draft NRC was published on July 30, last in which names of 2.89 crore of the 3.29 crore people were included. The names of 40,70,707 people were left out.