The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought responses from the Union government and other key stakeholders regarding a petition that calls for the issuance of national identity cards to individuals whose names appeared in the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam. The plea also presses for the immediate initiation of the appeal process for those who were excluded from the updated register.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi issued the notice. The petition, filed by the Assam State Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, has been directed to be tagged with a related matter currently pending before the apex court.
Notice has been served to the Central government, the office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, the State of Assam, and the office of the State Coordinator, requiring their replies on the issues raised. This development marks another significant legal step in the long-drawn process surrounding the NRC in the state.
The NRC in Assam was meticulously compiled under the supervision of the Supreme Court with the primary objective of identifying genuine Indian citizens and detecting illegal migrants. The updated register was eventually published on August 31, 2019. Applicants were required to demonstrate their or their ancestors' presence in India before the cut-off date of March 24, 1971, as stipulated by the Assam Accord. Out of over 3.3 crore applicants, a significant number of individuals were ultimately excluded from the final list, leading to continued legal and social discourse.
Continue Reading
