They Are Your Own People, Should've Given Them Diwali Gift: Delhi High Court To Centre On Pak Hindu Migrants' Plea For Electricity Connections

The Central Government Monday informed the Delhi High Court that the matter relating to issuance of no objection certificate (NOC) to Pakistani Hindu migrants, who are allegedly residing in the city's Adarsh Nagar area without proper electricity connections, is being looked into at the highest level.

A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad granted a period of three weeks to the Centre for filing its response in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking directions for including Aadhaar card and the long-term visa as a sufficient proof in respect of the occupancy of the premises, to enable them to apply for electricity connections.

The power company is demanding proof of ownership of land to supply electricity to them.

During the course of hearing today, the central government counsel advocate Anurag Ahluwalia submitted that the matter of granting NOC is being taken up with the Ministry of Defence which has to issue the said certificate.

"We have taken up with the highest authorities. We have escalated to the Ministry of Defense and at the highest level… because the NOC has to be granted by the Ministry of Defense," the counsel said.

On this, Chief Justice Sharma orally told the counsel "They are without electricity. They are your own people."

While listing the matter for further hearing on November 10, the court said "Atleast you should have given them a Diwali gift."

Responding to the same, the Centre's counsel submitted "On a personal level I ensured ... that my officers who are also present in the court ... that we do something before Diwali but there was…we are still trying that in case we get an NOC…."

Last month, the bench had said that it expects the Centre to look into the plight of the migrants sympathetically, while directing it to file a proper affidavit in the matter.

In October last year, the Centre had informed the Court that the Pakistani Hindu Migrants seeking electricity connection at their camps were living on the land belonging to the Defence Ministry. Therefore, stating that the migrants had encroached the Ministry's land and that their plea was misconceived, the Government had sought dismissal of the PIL.

Case Title: Hariom v. State (NCT  of Delhi)