The Supreme Court on Friday, October 18, ordered transfer of Prateek Hajela, the coordinator to update the NRC of 1951 for Assam, to Madhya Pradesh on deputation for a maximum period. However, the reason behind Hajela's transfer is yet to be disclosed by the apex court.
The order was passed by a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi and Justices SA Bobde and Rohinton Nariman. The Bench asked the government to notify 48-year-old Hajela's transfer within seven days.
Attorney General KK Venugopal, the government's lawyer, who was present in court asked the Bench: "Is there a reason for this?"
CJI Gogoi replied: "No order will be without a reason."
Today's development came as a surprise for citizens in Assam.
Hajela, whose task was to supervise the massive exercise of revising Assam's citizen's list, was charged with two FIRs. A lawyer and indigenous Muslim students organisation -- All Assam Goriya-Moriya Yuva Chatra Parishad (AAGMYCP) -- filed separate FIRs against Hajela for "discrepancies" in the final updated NRC list.
