Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court upheld a Foreigners Tribunal decision declaring an Assam man a foreigner. Justices Kalyan Rai Surana and Shamima Jahan dismissed the petition, ruling the man failed to meet his burden of proof under the Foreigners Act. He could not verify his lineage.
The daily wage laborer submitted 15 items to prove he was Indian. This included land deeds, school records, and a 1951 National Register of Citizens copy. The court tossed them out. The documents were either unverified printouts or lacked the necessary legal certification.
Advocate Azad Ahmed noted the procedural errors. He told India Today NE, "The documents submitted by the individual were all photocopies or printouts. Under the provisions of the Evidence Act, certified copies must accompany such documents."
The court flagged major holes in the case. The 1951 NRC printout lacked certification. The school certificate failed because the headmaster never testified. Voter lists contained major inconsistencies, and the petitioner’s father gave contradictory testimony during cross-examination. The court ruled that ID cards alone cannot secure citizenship claims without an unbroken paper trail leading back to ancestors present in India before March 1971.
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