At the time of publication of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) list the state government had said that 200 new Foreigners Tribunals would be set up immediately after the publication of the NRC. However, in the ongoing protest against the citizenship act, the most crucial phase of ‘detection and deportation’ of those left out in the final publication of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) has been delayed.
Assam: Fate of 19 lakh people hangs in balance
The reason behind the delay is inordinate with authorities failing to issue ‘rejection slip’ and setting up of 200 new foreigners tribunal for judicial scrutiny of nearly 19 lakh people left out.
According to the security sources, 100 tribunals are functioning at present and the fate of 200 new foreigners tribunal was still hanging in balance. The High Court had recruited members to head these tribunals but their future is also uncertain.
The necessity of more foreigners tribunal was felt as people, whose names have not been included in the NRC, can file petitions before the Foreigners Tribunals to claim their citizenship and it was apprehended that the majority of the persons whose names were left out of the NRC would file petitions.
Security sources said that the persons whose names did not appear in the NRC would be able to file applications within 120 days of receiving the certified copies of the ‘rejection slips’ that will have detailed reasons for rejection of their application for inclusion of names by the office of the state NRC coordinator.
It is to be noted that though the final NRC was published on August 31 in which the names of 19 lakh applicants were left out, it is still not known when the office of the State NRC Coordinator would start issuing the rejection slips.
It is significant that the NRC Coordinator’s Office had earlier announced that the ‘rejection slips’ would be issued within a month from the date of publication of the final NRC. But later, the state NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela was transferred to MP following an SC order and the new coordinator is yet to start the process.
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