Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: The Supreme Court stepped into the Assam NRC logjam on Tuesday, July 21. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, alongside Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, issued notices to the Centre, the Assam government, and the State NRC Coordinator. The court wants answers on why the appeal process for those left off the list remains frozen. The Assam State Jamiat Ulama filed the petition.
Lawyers for the petitioners argue that thousands face immense hardship while waiting for a path to contest their exclusion. Official records show 3.30 crore people applied for the register. Of those, 3.11 crore made the cut while 19.06 lakh applicants were dropped. The final list went live on August 31, 2019. It was supposed to identify genuine citizens.
The court has now tagged this petition with a similar case already on its docket. The petitioners also want authorities to issue national identity cards under Section 14A of the Citizenship Act, 1955. Political pressure is mounting alongside the legal battle. AIUDF General Secretary and MLA Rafiqul Islam recently slammed the government for the six-year delay in issuing those ID cards.
Islam claims people already on the NRC list are being harassed or pushed into detention. He stated, "The issue of illegal immigration has remained a long-standing concern in Assam." He is demanding rejection slips for the 19 lakh excluded applicants so they can finally head to court. Meanwhile, Assam battles severe floods in districts like Sivasagar and Jorhat, adding another layer of chaos to the state's operations.
Comments