The number of people left out of the draft National Register of Citizens in Assam went up by over a 100,000 after an additional list of exclusions was published on Wednesday (Jun 26), reports Hindustan Times.
“As per provisions contained in Clause 5 of the Schedule of Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Card) Rules, 2003, an additional draft list consisting of 1,02,462 has been published today,” the office of the state coordinator of the NRC said in a statement, said the Indian daily.
The complete list of NRC is due by Jul 31, 2019, as per the Indian Supreme Court deadline.
Listing reasons for the exclusion, the statement notes three categories. Firstly, those who are declared foreigner, doubtful voter or persons with cases pending at Foreigners Tribunals or their descendants, as applicable, discovered after publication of draft NRC. Second, persons who were found to be ineligible while appearing as a witness in hearings held for disposal of claims and objections.
Third, are persons who were found to be ineligible during the process of verification carried out by the Local Registrars of Citizens Registration under provisions of Clause 4(3), after publication draft NRC on Jul 30, 2018.
As per this clause, a local registrar may at any time before the final publication of NRC take up verification of such persons considered necessary.
The NRC is being updated to weed out alleged illegal foreigners in the eastern state of India.
The draft NRC published on July 30, 2018, excluded 40,07,707 persons out of which a little over 3.6 million filed claims against their exclusion.
According to the statement from the State Coordinator of the NRC, those in the new exclusion list will be informed individually through letters to be delivered at their residential addresses along with the reason of exclusion after which they can file claims against their exclusion.
“The submission of claim and its disposal by the Disposing Officer through a hearing will happen together,” the statement said.
The court had allowed five new documents to prove the legacy for the claimants — extract of names in NRC, 1951; certified copy of Electoral Rolls up to the midnight of March 24, 1971, and Citizenship Certificate and refugee certificate issued by competent authority up to 24 Mar, 1971 midnight.
The other two legacy documents include Certified copies of pre-1971 Electoral Roll, particularly, those issued from Tripura and the ration card.
The new draft exclusion list comes close on the heels of President Ram Nath Kovind saying that government would remove “infiltrators” on a priority basis.
“My government has decided to implement the process of National Register of Citizens on priority basis in areas affected by infiltration,” Kovind had said in his customary address after the formation of the 17th Lok Sabha.
The Indian president, however, did not specify in which areas the NRC will be implemented.
