Hajela fails to appear before Assam court, next hearing on 6 February

Guwahati, 17 November : Prateek Hajela, the former National Register of Citizens (NRC) Assam coordinator - who was summoned by the Kamrup (metro) additional district & sessions judge to appear before the court on Friday-failed to do so, following which the court allowed the petitioner to bring the matter to Hajela’s notice through newspaper-advertisements.

The petitioner Luit Kumar Barman, who is an entrepreneur turned award winning film producer, informed that the concerned advertisement will be published in two national dailies (one in English and another in Hindi) and two widely circulated local newspapers of Madhya Pradesh and Assam (as Hajela hails from MP and recently he took voluntary retirement from the service of Assan government).

Barman filed the petition with basis of the report of Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on the NRC updation process in the State where it detected the misuse of over Rs 260 crore and recommended penal actions against Hajela and the system integrator (Wipro limited). Wipro was also summoned by the court to appear on 17 November and it submitted an affidavit before the court Through its representative.

However, another party named Integrated System and Services (represented by its proprietor Utpal Hazarika) was not served the summon duly and the court directed the petitioner to take steps. The court fixed 6 February 2024 for next appearance by all the parties and also submission of newspapers carrying the advertisements by the petitioner.