APW moves SC for 100 per cent reverification of NRC process in Assam

The Assam Public Works (APW), an NGO whose petition had led to the NRC exercise in Assam, has moved the Supreme Court for 100 per cent reverification of the entire process and a probe by a judicial committee to detect the discrepancies involved in updating the citizens' register.

In a fresh affidavit filed in the apex court on Monday, the APW alleged that the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which was published on August 31, 2019, left out the names of indigenous people but included many illegal foreigners.

The final NRC list had the names of four Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh "jihadis", who were arrested from Barpeta district, the affidavit said.

The arrested "jihadis", whose names figured in the NRC, were Azharuddin, Ranjit Ali, Luit Jamiul Jamal and Muqaddir Islam, it added.

Earlier, a petition filed by the NGO in the Supreme Court had led to the NRC being updated in the north-eastern state.

In the fresh affidavit, the APW has also urged that agencies such as the CBI, NIA and ED be allowed to probe the alleged misappropriation of funds and irregularities in updating the citizens' register by former NRC state coordinator Prateek Hajela.

It also alleged that Hajela and the software companies engaged in updating the NRC indulged in corruption and malpractices, which made it a "useless document for the people of Assam".

The APW had filed a complaint against Hajela with the state police on February 12 for allegedly tampering with the final NRC list, disobeying orders and directions of the Supreme Court, making a false document, causing forgery of the public register and committing offences under the cyber laws by altering or changing the public records, misusing his powers and positions.

The NGO had also filed a complaint against Hajela with the anti-corruption branch of the CBI on November 28 last year, alleging misappropriation of funds during the NRC process.

The Supreme Court had ordered Hajela's transfer from Assam to his home state Madhya Pradesh and he was released from the charge of NRC state coordinator on November 11 last year.

Talking to PTI here, APW president Aabhijeet Sarma said, "In the latest affidavit, we have requested that the validity of the NRC shall not be considered till the final settlement of the two cases pending before a Constitution bench of the Supreme Court.

"The NRC exercise should be halted for the time being and a 100 per cent re-verification of the entire process should be done."