SC livid over Centre’s plea

You're hell bent on destroying the NRC, says court

The Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the Centre for seeking a suspension of the process to update the Assam National Register of Citizens, observing that the government seems to be "hell bent on destroying the NRC".

The observations came after Attorney General KK Venugopal, representing the central government, made a request for suspension of the NRC work in the wake of the upcoming general elections.

Venugopal said that it would not be conducive to go on with the simultaneous process of deciding claims and objections for the NRC

after the Election Commission notifies the Lok Sabha elections. The top law officer added that 167 companies of the central forces, which are currently deployed for the NRC work, will also have to be moved during the general elections

The Bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Rohinton F Nariman was, however, adamant that it will not suspend the process of deciding the claims and objections of those who were left out of the first draft of the National Register of Citizens.

The submission of the Centre also distressed the Bench. "We can only say that the government of India is not cooperating. When it wants to do something, it can come up with one thousand ways of doing something. But in this case, you don't want to cooperate," it retorted.

The court also said it would consider summoning the Union Home Secretary for an explanation over “not cooperating at all.” The bench further said: "Elections are definitely to be held peacefully but the NRC must also have to keep going. Elections and NRC must go together. Both the exercises are important for the country."