HC seeks response from Centre on caste status of refugees from East Pak

Dehradun: A division bench headed by Chief Justice Ritu Bahri has directed the central government to adjudicate on the caste status of refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan who were given shelter in US Nagar district in Uttarakhand before 1962, 1964 and 1970. The court was informed that these refugees were issued Scheduled Caste (SC) certificates, however, they never received the benefits available to people belonging to the SC category.The Centre has been directed to file its reply within two weeks.
US Nagar-based petitioner Nikhilesh Gharami said that “after settling the refugees in the district, they were provided land for living and farming. Later, based on the Centre’s recommendation, they were given the status of ‘Namasudra’ and were also issued a SC category certificate.”
“Besides the benefit of scholarships given to their children by the social welfare department, they are not provided other benefits which people belonging to the SC category enjoy,” the petitioner added.
Notably, local MP and Union minister Ajay Bhatt had raised this issue in the Parliament in 2019 but the Centre is yet to take any decision in the matter. The court has scheduled the next hearing on May 7.