Ahead of July deadline, one lakh more people excluded from NRC in Assam

The new additional draft list contains only the names of those people who had figured in the ‘Complete Draft NRC’ published on July 30, 2018

The number of people left out of the draft National Register of Citizens in Assam went up by over a lakh after an additional list of exclusions was published on Wednesday.

The draft of National Register of Citizens last year had excluded 40 lakh people in Assam. (HT PHOTO)

“As per provisions contained in Clause 5 of the Schedule of Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Card) Rules, 2003, an additional draft list consisting of 1,02,462 has been published today,” the office of the state coordinator of the NRC said in a statement.

The complete list of NRC is due by July 31, 2019 as per a Supreme Court deadline.

Listing reasons for the exclusion, the statement notes three categories. Firstly, those who are declared foreigner, doubtful voter or persons with cases pending at Foreigners Tribunals or their descendants, as applicable, discovered after publication of draft NRC. Second, persons who were found to be ineligible while appearing as witness in hearings held for disposal of claims and objections.

Third, are persons who were found to be ineligible during the process of verification carried out by the Local Registrars of Citizens Registration under provisions of Clause 4(3), after publication draft NRC on July 30, 2018.

As per this clause, a local registrar may at any time before the final publication of NRc may take up verification of such persons considered necessary.

The NRC is being updated to weed out illegal foreigners in the state.

Additionally, the Supreme Court which is monitoring the process had ordered that declared foreigners and their descendants are to be kept out of NRC while doubtful voters and persons who have cases pending in foreigners tribunals are to be kept on hold till their cases are decided by the tribunals irrespective of them clearing the NRC verification processes.

Lack of a common database meant thousands of declared foreigners, doubtful voters and persons who have cases pending found their names in the draft list.

The draft NRC published on July 30, 2018 excluded 40,07,707 persons out of which a little over 3.6 million filed claims against their exclusion.

According to the statement from the State Coordinator of the NRC, those in the new exclusion list will be informed individually through letters to be delivered at their residential addresses along with the reason of exclusion after which they can file claims against their exclusion.

“The submission of claim and its disposal by the Disposing Officer through a hearing will happen together,” the statement said.