NRC Assam: Plea before Supreme Court to issue ID cards, start hearing appeals against exclusions

The Supreme Court of India has issued notice on a plea seeking directions to the Union government to issue national identity cards to persons included in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam and to start the appeal process for those excluded from it. The petition, filed by the Assam State Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, was tagged with a related pending matter. A response has been sought from various parties, including the Central government and the office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice on a plea seeking directions to the Union government to issue national identity cards to persons included in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam and to start the appeal process for those excluded from it. This development is significant as it highlights the ongoing issues related to the NRC in Assam, which was compiled as part of an exercise to identify genuine Indian citizens and detect illegal migrants in the State. The updated NRC was published on August 31, 2019, after requiring applicants to prove that they or their ancestors were present in India before the cut-off date of March 24, 1971, as stipulated under the Assam Accord.

The National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam was conducted under the supervision of the Supreme Court. The updated NRC was published on August 31, 2019, after requiring applicants to prove that they or their ancestors were present in India before the cut-off date of March 24, 1971, as stipulated under the Assam Accord. Of the over 3.3 crore applicants, around 19.06 lakh people were excluded from the final list. However, the final NRC has not yet been formally notified by the Union government.

The Supreme Court's decision to issue notice on this plea is a significant development in the ongoing saga of the NRC in Assam. The petition highlights the need for the Union government to issue national identity cards to persons included in the NRC and to start the appeal process for those excluded from it. This is crucial as many individuals who were excluded from the final list are yet to receive rejection slips, let alone any formal notification of their exclusion.

The Supreme Court's decision to issue notice on this plea is a step in the right direction towards resolving the ongoing issues related to the NRC in Assam. Practitioners should closely watch this development and be prepared for further updates as the matter progresses through the courts.