De-coding NRC coordinator, Prateek Hajela’s transfer

New Delhi, Oct 19: The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the transfer of Assam NRC coordinator, Prateek Hajela.

The court directed the government to send Hajela on on inter-cadre deputation to Madhya Pradesh. The court directed the union government and the Assam government to send Hajela to Madhya Pradesh for the maximum period possible.

Hajela played a key role in carrying out the orders of the Supreme Court in preparing both the draft and final NRC for Assam. The court ordered that the government notify the transfer within 7 days.

It may be recalled that in July this year, the Assam Government and the Centre had petitioned the SC for re-verification of a sample of names included in the draft NRC. On August 1, the Assam government released the exclusion data of the draft NRC to question the accuracy of the process. The government also criticised Hajela and said that he had his reasoning wrong. Further Hajela was also accused of working under the direction of some forces.

Attorney General K K Venugopal asked the Bench if there was any reason or cause for sending Hajela on deputation. The Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi said, "can any order be passed without a cause or reason." However the CJI did not mention the cause of reason.

There are however speculations that he may be received a life threat.

The AG then asked about the final NRC. The court said that the matter will come up for further hearing on issues relating to the NRC on November 26. The CJI retires on November 17.

Hajela himself had submitted a confidential report to the Supreme Court in which he he had sought a transfer. He had said that he has been cleaved along communal and linguistic lines over the issue.

It may be recalled that on September 5, two FIRs were lodged against Assam Coordinator of National Register of Citizens (NRC), Prateek Hajela, for "discrepancies" in the final updated list.

A lawyer and indigenous Muslim students organisation -- All Assam Goriya-Moriya Yuva Chatra Parishad (AAGMYCP) -- filed separate FIRs against Hajela in Dibrugarh and Guwahati.