NPR: CENTRE’S COUNSEL GETS TIME TO SEEK INSTRUCTIONS

LUCKNOW : The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has provided time to the Central government counsel to seek instructions from the government to place its response to a public interest litigation (PIL) which claims data collected for updating of the National Population Register (NPR) would form the foundation of the National Register of Indian Citizens. The petitioner, one Manavendra Singh, sought directions for the supply of all material on which the government may rely while taking any decision relating to placement of a resident in the National Register of Indian Citizens.

LUCKNOW: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has provided time to the central government counsel to seek instructions from the government to place its response to a public interest litigation (PIL) petition which claims data collected for updating of the National Population Register (NPR) would form the foundation of the National Register of Indian Citizens.

The petitioner, one Manavendra Singh, sought directions for the supply of all material on which the government may rely while taking any decision relating to placement of a resident in the National Register of Indian Citizens.

A division bench comprising chief justice Govind Mathur and justice Chandra Dhari Singh passed the order on March 4 while hearing Singh’s PIL petition. The court listed the petition on March 6.

The petitioner said the data collected from residents shall be foundation for National Register of Indian Citizens and, therefore, it would be necessary to have a copy of the proforma in which all personal data is provided by a citizen. The petitioner submitted that invoking the powers under the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003, the Government of India has issued

Instruction Manual for updation of National Population Register (NPR) 2020.

As per the Instruction Manual, NPR of all the “usual residents” in the country was created in 2010. The field work of NPR data collection was undertaken along with house-listing and housing census, 2010.

The scheme for creation of National Population Register, which has been undertaken as per provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and the Rules of 2003, shall contain the details of ‘usual residents’ of the country regardless of whether they are citizens or non-citizens of India, the petitioner said. It was further provided that NPR is required to be created in 2020 and for that the government has decided to update the database with houselisting and housing census of India 2021 during April-September 2020, it added. The Aadhaar number from each resident shall also be collected in addition to his/her mobile number, election photo identity cards or voter ID card number, Indian passport number and driving license number, if available with the residents, the petitioner said.

The case of the petitioner was that the data collected from the residents shall be foundation for the National Register of Indian Citizens and, therefore, it would be necessary to have copy of the proforma in which all personal data is provided by a citizen.

It was contended by petitioner’s counsel that according to Rules of 2003, no adverse decision can be taken by the union government without providing an opportunity of hearing to the residents concerned and the term ‘heard’ having large amplitude includes the supply of data collected. He asserted that an objective hearing demanded supply of all material on which government would rely while taking any decision relating to placement of a resident in National Register of Indian Citizens.