GUWAHATI, June 23 - The Gauhati High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the notification issued by the Project Coordinator of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) as per which the names of the family members of the declared foreigners would not be included in the register.
NRC Project Coordinator Prateek Hajela had on May 2 written to all the Deputy Commissioners of the State asking them not to include names of any sibling or any family member of a declared foreigner in the draft NRC.
This notification was challenged by one Ajidul Haque.
After hearing both the sides, a Division Bench, comprising Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Rumi Kumari Phukan, dismissed the petition by Haque. The court, in its order on Friday, stated that �there is no infirmity or error in the notification� and that the names of such persons would be kept on hold.
Hajela, in his notification, made a reference to a Gauhati High Court order quoting �Once a procedee is declared to be a foreigner it would only be a logical corollary to such declaration that his brothers, sisters and other family members would also be foreigners. Therefore it becomes the duty of the jurisdictional Superintendent of Police (Border) to cause enquiry in respect of the brothers, sisters and other family members of the declared foreigner and thereafter to make references to the competent Foreigners Tribunal�.
