SC issues notice on pleas to finalise NRC for Assam

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice on writ petitions filed by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and the All Assam Minorities Students’ Union (AAMSU), seeking directions to the Centre and the Registrar General of Citizen Registration to complete the long-pending statutory steps required after the publication of the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) for Assam in August 2019.

A Bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and A.S. Chandurkar sought responses from the Union Government, the Census Commissioner, the Assam Government, and the State NRC Coordinator on the pleas highlighting that no action has been taken in the last six years to operationalise the Final NRC.

Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Indira Jaising, instructed by advocate Fuzail Ahmad Ayyubi, appearing for the petitioners, submitted that while the Supreme Court had closely monitored the NRC exercise between 2013 and 2019, the authorities have failed to complete the final statutory steps under the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.

According to the petition, the Centre has not issued National Identity Cards to the 3.11 crore individuals included in the Final NRC, nor has it issued rejection slips to the 19 lakh persons excluded from the list to enable them to file appeals before Foreigners’ Tribunals.

It added that leaving the NRC process suspended after its publication has resulted in a large population of “uncertain citizens”, creating prolonged fear and social distrust. They contend that the NRC, a scientific, data-driven exercise involving verification of over 3.3 crore applications and conducted under the direct gaze of the apex court, must reach its logical conclusion to uphold constitutional guarantees of equality and due process.

The petitioners submitted that illegal immigration concerns in Assam can only be conclusively addressed by completing the NRC in accordance with the statutory framework, and not by keeping the process in limbo despite an expenditure of over Rs 1,600 crore in public funds.

The plea prays for the issuance of National Identity Cards to all persons included in the Final NRC and issuance of rejection orders, followed by the commencement of appeals for those left out.

IANS