Amit Shah reviews issues related to NRC's final publication in Assam

Amit Shah sharing his views on the 'Abolition of Triple Talaq - Correcting a Historic wrong' event in New Delhi. Pic/Twitter Amit Shah

On Tuesday, Union Minister Amit Shah reviewed the issues related to the final publication of National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam. The review meeting was attended by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, Chief Secretary of Assam and other senior officials.

According to an official release from the Ministry of Home Affairs, extensive deliberations were made on the issue. During the meeting, it was decided to provide full opportunity to those excluded from the NRC and to appeal against their non-inclusion.

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The statement said that every individual, whose name does not figure in the final NRC, can represent his/her case in front of the appellate authority, that is, Foreigner Tribunals (FT). Under the provisions of Foreigners Act 1946 and Foreigners (Tribunals) Order 1964, only FTs are empowered to declare a person as a foreigner.

Thereby, the non-inclusion of a person's name in NRC does not by itself amount to him/her being declared as a foreigner. The statement further said that as it may not be possible for all those excluded from the final NRC to file the appeal within the prescribed time limit, the MHA will amend the rules to increase the present time limit of filing of appeals in FTs from 60 days to 120 days.

The MHA will also emend the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003 accordingly. On July 23, 2019, the Supreme Court had extended the deadline for the final publication of the NRC in Assam from July 31 to August 31, 2019.

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Supreme Court judges, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman had passed the order on a plea filed by the Centre and Assam government for an extension of the deadline to file the FTs. The apex court The top court had refused to allow a plea for 20 percent sample re-verification of those included and excluded from the NRC.

With inputs from ANI

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