“No government-action against those missing from NRC final draft; give them a fair chance” Supreme Court 

Screaming Mamata Banerjee, high decibel prime-time debate on news channels, chaotic Parliament- Assam, probably for the first time has been in the epicenter of so much attention. Meanwhile, amid all the hue and cry, Supreme Court of India heard the state coordinator Pratik Hajela and Attorney General KK Venugopal on the latest development of National Register of Citizens.

The bench consisting Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Rohinton Nariman directed the Central Government to consult state coordinator Pratik Hajela and ensure that the ones who missed out from the final draft i.e around 40 lakh people get a ‘fair’ chance to claim or object.

Attorney General Venugopal informed the court that the concerned ministries are working on charting a plan in order to provide everyone a fair opportunity. Venugopal assured the apex court that the plan would be submitted by mid-August. Justice Gogoi in response to that said, “present it before us and if it is fine, we would approve. If not, we would reject. If there is a gap we will fill.”

The bench quizzed Hajela on the final date of NRC. Justice Gogoi mentioned that he read somewhere a quote of Hajela, according to which the final draft, after addressing the 40 lakh omissions would be published on December 31, 2018. Hajela denied saying so. And in his explanation to the bench, he mentioned that it is up to the court to decide on a deadline and not him.

The bench then asked Hajela “What’s next”. In response to the question, the IAS replied that the people of Assam will have time till August 7 to find out if their names are there in the published draft. From August 8, 2018, onwards, the ones who missed out can file their claims. One can object to someone’s inclusion too, and all of that would be heard in the period from August 30 to September 28, 2018. The bench will have a hearing again on August 16, 2018, to chart a future plan.

In the draft published on July 30, 2018, 2.89 crore were certified as Indian Citizens. As many as 37.59 lakh applications were rejected while 2.48 lakh applications were kept on hold. A total of 3,29 crore submitted their applications to get enrolled in the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Former deputy speaker of Assam, Dilip Kumar Paul’s wife Archana Paul’s name is missing from the draft and is one of the most high profile rejections. Former MLA of Katigorah constituency Ataur Rahman Majarbhuiya and his children’s name are also missing from the list. Former president of BJP’s Cachar District committee Uday Shankar Goswami’s daughter-in-law and grand daughter’s name too could not be spotted in the draft.