Assam wants NRC claims to be put on hold, may urge SC

Apparently concerned that many illegal immigrants have made it to the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the Assam government is set to urge the Supreme Court to order the completion of a reverification exercise be completed before those left out from the NRC start filing their claims and objections. The state government is also upset that it does not have the details of the over four million people who have been excluded. The draft aimed at identifying and deporting illegal immigrants, included 28.9 million people.

In its affidavit to the court, the state government is expected to urge the court to order NRC authorities to suo moto (on their own) include a section of “original inhabitants” and those from other parts of the country who have been left out of the draft, without having to go through the “harassment” of filing claims, a top official said.

“Those who should have been out seem to have got in and some of those who should have been in are out” We are also going to urge the court that reverification should be completed before the people submit claims and hearing start,” said LS Changsan, principal secretary, home and political Department.

Suggesting that the state government has been kept out of the loop, Changsan said the state government will also request the Supreme Court that it be told of the modalities and details of the reverification exercise being prepared by NRC state coordinator Prateek Hajela.

“The verification needs to be done in a well planned and thorough manner,” she said. The Supreme Court, after going through the district-wise details of the draft, had said it is considering the necessity of reverification of at least a 10% sample of those who have been included from every district. The court asked Hajela to submit a report on the timeframe for such an exercise.

The court is also in the process of finalizing the standard operating procedure for the claims and objections exercise once the stakeholders submit their views on the submissions made by Hajela. Officials confided that the state government had been caught off guard by Hajela’s recent submissions to the court to reduce the number of documents for claiming citizenship in the claims phase to 10 from 15. Excluded documents include extract of 1951 NRC, voters lists up to March 25, 1971, refugee and migration certificates, and ration cards issued till March 25, 1971.

Changsan pointed out that in the initial draft of the proposed standard operating procedure (SOP) prepared by the Centre, in consultation with the state government and the NRC secretariat, it had been clearly mentioned that all the documents that could be submitted at the time of application could be submitted again.

“We will ask the court to allow submission of all 15 documents afresh by those who have been excluded,” he said. The state government is also going to request the apex court that it be given the details of those who are excluded.

“We are compelled to ask for it to be prepared on the law and order front, for security planning and to ensure no targeted discrimination happens,” he said.

The state government is also likely to urge the Supreme Court for exemption of some indigenous communities and people from other parts of the country who should have easily made it through the NRC process from the claims process. “There is provision for this in law so that they could be included without having to go through the harassing process of claims,” Changsan said.

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