Assam Government Gets Priority on NRC Update Right

* Crucial SC hearing on NRC today

* Let sample re-verification of 10% of names included in complete draft NRC precede claim-and-objection part, Dispur tells SC

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Sept 18: Getting its priorities on NRC update right, Dispur has appealed to the Supreme Court of India to ensure that the process of sample re-verification of ten per cent of names that have made it to the complete draft NRC should precede the claim-and-objection part of the exercise.

To this effect, Dispur has already submitted its affidavit to the apex court that is going to hold its crucial hearing on the NRC case on Wednesday. Dispur may or may not get a directive from the apex court on its plea on NRC priority – sample re-verification preceding claims and objections – on Wednesday.

If the Supreme Court orders sample re-verification of 10 per cent of the names that have been included in the complete draft NRC, the process of re-verification is to include around 29 lakh people. Sources say that Dispur has to raise such a demand in the backdrop of allegations that names of many ‘D’ voters, declared foreigners and their descendants have been included in the complete draft NRC.

In its affidavits, Dispur has also opposed the dropping of five NRC documents, including NRC of 1951 and electoral rolls up to 1971, by State NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela in his modalities for verification of the over 40 lakh people who have been excluded from the complete NRC draft. Hajela has already submitted his modalities to the apex court for the purpose. The State BJP has also expressed its dissatisfaction over the dropping of five NRC documents by Hejela.

The complete draft NRC has as many as 2,89,83,668 names included in it out of the 3,29,91,385 applicants. As many as 40,07,717 NRC applicants have been excluded from the complete draft for being ineligible.

Meanwhile, the process of receiving applications for claims and objection has been on hold as the Supreme Court is yet to order anything towards that end as of now. However, the NRC authority has already let the applicants, who have been barred from making it to the complete draft NRC, know the reasons behind their exclusion from the citizenship list.