SC accepts govt’s list of documents required in NRC claims process

The Supreme Court tentatively accepted on Wednesday a list of 10 documents that can be relied upon by authorities while dealing with claims of those who have been left out of the draft National Register for Citizens (NRC) for Assam.

A bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and RF Nariman asked the Centre to give its views on the list within two weeks.

About four million names are missing from the draft NRC that was mandated by the court as part of an effort to identify illegal migrants in the state.

The 10 documents were placed before the court by NRC coordinator Prateek Hajela following an earlier direction from the bench.

Hajela chose the documents that were a part of the Centre’s standard of procedure prepared to deal with claims and objections. He sought deletion of five documents mentioned in SOP.

The documents, which mostly need to have been issued before midnight on March 24, 1971, to be valid, include: land documents such as registered sale deed, records of land rights; permanent residential certificate issued from outside the state; passport issued by the Government of India; Life Insurance Corporation of India insurance policy; any licence/certificate issued by any government; birth certificate; educational certificate by boards of universities. Documents that can also show that a person held a government job, a bank/post office account or if the name figured in records/processes pertaining to a court until March 24 will also be considered.

Attorney general KK Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, said he was in agreement with Hajela’s list. Until further orders, the court said, the date for people to file applications of claims and objections shall stand deferred.

NEW DELHI: