NEW DELHI, Nov 27 � The Supreme Court today directed State Coordinator for National Register of Citizens (NRC) Prateek Hajela to work out the logistic arrangements for updating the NRC by January-end next.
A Division Bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman heard the Asom Sanmilita Mahasangha and Ahom Sabha regarding their plea for scrapping of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act. They have challenged the cut-off date of 1971.
The Government of Assam, along with the Centre has opposed the plea of the petitioners. Their plea too was heard today.
The Division Bench asked the Central Government to submit their affidavit by the first week of December. Both the Centre and Assam Government were earlier directed by the Supreme Court to submit their affidavits within two weeks.
Meanwhile, the All Assam Students� Union submitted their affidavit regarding the status of implementation of Assam Accord containing their suggestions to the court, today.
At the last hearing the Supreme Court had given two weeks� time to the Centre to furnish an action plan on illegal infiltration, deportation of illegal migrants, sealing of the India-Bangladesh border and update of the NRC.
The Division Bench had also given two weeks� time to the Assam Government to submit a report listing the status of those whose names do not figure in the updated NRC.
Meanwhile, State Nodal officer for NRC update Hajela and the Assam Government were asked to work out the logistics including selection of vendors, training of staff etc., within end of January 2015.
The case relating to update of the NRC has been kept pending till the final verdict of the Asom Sanmilita Mahasabha case is pronounced.
The Assam Public Works (APW) in its petition filed in July 2009 had pleaded for identification of the Bangladeshi foreigners and deletion of their names from the voters� list.
Meanwhile, AASU advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya told this newspaper that they want the Supreme Court to monitor the updating of the NRC. �We also hope that the Supreme Court would give justice to implementation of Assam Accord,� he said.
