The Supreme Court that is hearing the matter pertaining to the process for filing Claims and Objections for inclusion into the National Register of Citizens has now directed the NRC State Coordinator submit his view on the five documents excluded from center’s new Standard Operating Procedures and Modalities. He has been asked to submit a feasibility report for inclusion of five documents within 15 days. Meanwhile the court has directed that the process of filing Claims and Objections can resume from September 25 and continue for 60 days.
Image Courtesy: Ritu Raj / The Hindu
“We are not shutting out the rest of the five documents. All that we are saying is that at this stage, claims and objections shall be filed on the basis of 10 documents.” Justice Ranjan Gogoi said. The five other documents have been kept “open” till NRC State Coordinator Prateek Hajela submits his views.
During the previous hearing where Hajela had submitted a list of documents as a part of Standard Operating Procedures and Modalities for examining the validity of claims and objections, he had reduced the number of acceptable documents to 10, from the original 15, expressing reservations about the five excluded documents. The documents that were dropped were seen as some of the most important documents. These are:
- Extract of NRC, 1951 (Legacy document)
- Voters list up to 1971 (Legacy document)
- Citizenship Certificates (Legacy document)
- Refugee Certificates (Legacy document)
- Ration card issued by the competent Authority with official seal and signature up to 24th March Midnight, 1971. (Supporting document)
The court had then sought the opinion of various stakeholders including members of All Assam Students Union (AASU) and All Assam Muslim Students Union (AAMSU). They had been given two weeks to submit their concerns.
NRC State Coordinator has now been directed to submit the feasibility report only to the court in a sealed envelope and not reveal it to any other judicial or legislative authority. The matter has been adjourned till October 23.
The entire order may be read here: