Supreme Court Ask Centre and Assam Government's Response on Delayed NRC Appeals

Guwahati: Today, the Supreme Court issued notices to the Central Government, the Assam Government and other respondents over the prolonged delay in initiating the appeal process for nearly 19 lakh people excluded from the final the NRC published in Assam in 2019.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi was hearing a petition filed by the Assam State Jamiat Ulama.

During the hearing, counsel for the petitioner highlighted the uncertainty faced by those excluded from the NRC, arguing that they continue to remain in legal limbo as the statutory mechanism for filing appeals has not yet been made operational.

The petitioner submitted that, although the law provides a process for challenging exclusion from the NRC, no concrete steps have been taken to activate the appellate mechanism, leaving the affected  people without an effective legal remedy.

Taking note of the submissions, the Bench directed the Central Government, the Assam Government and the Office of the State NRC Coordinator to file their responses. The Court also ordered that the matter be tagged with another pending petition raising similar concerns over the delayed NRC appeal process.

The final NRC, published in August 2019, excluded nearly 19 lakh applicants after a comprehensive verification exercise aimed at identifying genuine Indian citizens in Assam. However, the continued delay in operationalizing the appeal mechanism has left those excluded without clarity regarding their legal status and future rights.

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