Uttarakhand High Court, while hearing the case of refugees from East Pakistan (Bengal), has asked the Central Government to file its reply within two weeks. The division bench of Chief Justice Ritu Bahri and Justice Rakesh Thapliyal has fixed the next hearing of the case on May 7.
According to the case, Udham Singh Nagar resident social worker Nikhilesh Gharami challenged and said that the refugees who came from East Pakistan (Bengal) in 1962, 1964 and 1970 were settled in Udham Singh Nagar district and they were provided land. On the recommendation of the Central Government, he was given the status of Namo Shudra and a Scheduled Caste certificate was also issued.
Even the then Social Welfare Department gave the benefit of scholarship to their children. Despite this, they are not being given the benefits of Scheduled Caste schemes. He has given memorandum to the competent authorities several times. Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar Lok Sabha MP and Union Minister Ajay Bhatt had also raised this matter in the Lok Sabha in the year 2019.