With the Supreme Court last week bringing to a close the long-standing debate in Assam by upholding Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, all eyes across state are now on the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which has been in limbo since 2019.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who has in the past extended support to the 1951 cut-off to determine citizenship in Assam, on Friday summed up the differing views of the apex court ruling. “The Supreme Court decision will not have any major impact on the state’s social life as it just reiterates what is already in place. However, many people wanted the cut-off to be 1951 but the (Assam) Accord laid it down to be 1971. Some things do not happen even if we want them to. There is unhappiness in a section of people that we will never get 1951 (as the cut-off) while a few others are happy that there is closure,” he told reporters in Ranchi.
The plea in the apex court, apart from challenging the validity of Section 6A, sought 1951 as the cut-off for inclusion into the NRC as against the existing March 25, 1971.
The NRC was published in 2019 but the Registrar General of India (RGI) is yet to notify it, with both the BJP-led Central and state governments maintaining that it is not acceptable in its current form.
The Assam Public Works (APW), an NGO whose petition led to the Supreme Court-monitored NRC in the state, has also expressed its unhappiness with the exercise. “The Court verdict opens the doors for pleas which are seeking a reverification of the NRC,” the NGO’s president Aabhijeet Sarma said.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.
