No immediate detention of those left out of NRC list, says Assam govt

india

Updated: Aug 28, 2019 00:02 IST

With just three days left for publication of the final National Register of Citizens (NRC), the Assam government issued a public notice through newspapers on Tuesday stating that those left out of the list won’t face detention immediately.

“Those left out of the final NRC won’t face any kind of detention till the foreigners’ tribunals (FTs) passes orders about their status,” said the seven-point notice signed by Kumar Sanjay Krishna, additional chief secretary of Assam government’s home and political department.

The final list of NRC will be published on August 31 and it is expected that several lakhs of the 32.9 lakh applicants might get left out. The complete draft NRC released in July last year had excluded 40 lakh applicants and another list released in June had left out 100,000 more.

The government’s notice comes amid fears that those left out of the list would be declared foreigners and sent to detention camps meant for foreigners who entered India illegally.

“Under the provisions of Foreigners Act, 1946 and Foreigners Tribunal Order, 1964, only foreigners’ tribunals (FTs) are empowered to declare a person as a foreigner. Thus, non-inclusion of a person’s name in NRC doesn’t by itself amount to him/her being declared as a foreigner,” the notice said.

It added that those left out of NRC can file their appeals for inclusion in the list at designated FTs. Earlier this month, the Union home ministry had extended the time limit for filing the appeals from 60 days to 120 days from publication of the final NRC.

Apart from the existing 100 FTs in the state, the notice informed that 200 new FTs are being set up and the state government would issue a notification in that regard soon.

The 200 new FTs would be set up soon in suitable places so that the process of filing appeals and hearings can take place smoothly, the notice said.

“The state government would take adequate steps to provide legal help to those poor applicants who are left out of the NRC though the district (administration) and legal aid authorities,” it said.

Another public notice signed by Krishna was issued on Tuesday about 56 FTs in all 33 districts of the state, which have been designated to receive appeals from those left out of the final NRC.