SC backs Hajela, five documents stays excluded from NRC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Assam government and Centre to “behave like a state and not an individual”. The statement came at the hearing on the Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC), which caused a controversy after 40 lakh people were left out from the final draft.

The statement came from Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Rohinton Nariman when the centre and Assam government insisted on five out of the 15 documents, left out by SC for filing claims and objections.

The 40 lakh missing names had caused a political storm and a wave of accusations, charges, and countercharges between the Modi government and the Opposition. On September 19, the last date of hearing, the court had said the process of filing claims and objections will continue for 60 days.

The five documents which the Supreme Court had suggested to be left out are: names in NRC, 1951; names in the electoral roll up to March 24, 1971; citizenship certificate; refugee registration certificate; certified copies of the pre-1971 electoral roll, particularly, those issued from Tripura; and ration card. The Centre has been objecting about its exclusion.

SC favoured the exclusion after NRC coordinator Prateek Hajela in his report said that these five documents cannot be permitted as their “introduction now will create problems”. Hajela has been asked to give a power point presentation to Attorney General KK Venugopal and ASG Tushar Mehta, who appeared for Centre and representatives of Assam government and other stakeholders so that it gives a “clarity regarding his objections.” The next hearing has been scheduled for next month.

The SC had ordered that the claims and objections would be relied on any one or more of the 10 additional documents, of a total of 15. With the court deciding to leave out five among the 15 listed documents, it has created a new furor among public.