india

Updated: Sep 02, 2019 05:35 IST

The central government said on Sunday said the 1.9 million people left out of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam wouldn’t become “stateless” or “foreigners” until they have exhausted their right to seek legal remedies.

The statement issued by the external affairs ministry was an apparent response to strong criticism by global rights groups and international media, which had reported on the uncertain future of those excluded from the NRC.

Some 1.9 million people found themselves out of the final version of the NRC published on Saturday after an effort aimed at ending a four-decade movement against illegal immigrants, but whose outcome left even many of its original backers dissatisfied.

“Exclusion from the NRC has no implication on the rights of an individual resident in Assam. For those who are not in the final list will not be detained and will continue to enjoy all the rights as before till they have exhausted all the remedies available under the law,” external affairs ministry spokeperson Raveesh Kumar said in the statement.

“It does not make the excluded person ‘Stateless’. It also does not make him or her a ‘Foreigner’, within the legal meaning of the term. They will not be deprived of any rights or entitlements which they have enjoyed before.”

The statement further said: “Any decision that is taken during the process of implementation of the NRC, will be within the four corners of the Indian law and consistent with India’s democratic traditions.”

Anyone excluded from the NRC has the right to file an appeal within 120 days of receiving a notification of exclusion to the designated tribunal. All appeals and excluded cases will be examined by the tribunal through a judicial process that will begin after the appellate period is over.