By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: The Assam government has directed all District Commissioners to furnish details of Scheduled Caste (SC) certificates issued and complaints related to them following a request from a Central inquiry commission examining issues linked to SC status and religious conversion.
In a communication issued by the Social Justice and Empowerment Department, district administrations were asked to review official records and submit the information within 10 days.
The directive follows a request from the inquiry commission headed by former Chief Justice of India Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, constituted by the Centre under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952. The panel was set up through a notification issued on October 6, 2022, to examine the eligibility for Scheduled Caste status of individuals claiming historical association with Scheduled Castes after converting to religions not covered under the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950.
According to the communication, the commission is in the final stages of preparing its report and recommendations for submission to the Centre and has sought state-wise information from all states and Union Territories.
District Commissioners have been asked to furnish details of SC certificates issued by competent authorities in a prescribed format and provide information on complaints received regarding the issuance of such certificates.
The department directed that the information be compiled and verified with official records. Districts where no complaints have been received have been asked to submit Nil reports, while appropriate remarks are to be provided wherever information is unavailable.
The department also asked district administrations to designate a responsible officer, if required, to coordinate the collection and submission of the information within the stipulated period.
The communication was issued by the Secretary to the Government of Assam, Social Justice and Empowerment Department, with a copy marked to the Office of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.