Certified copies soon citing reasons for NRC exclusion

GUWAHATI: The National Register of Citizens ( NRC ) authorities will release certified copies outlining the reason of rejection of those excluded from the final list soon, after the ongoing process of data transfer from various districts is over.

"We haven't fixed the date yet but the 120-day time period for filing an appeal before the foreigners' tribunals will start from the date these certificates of reason of rejection are made available.

There will be one date from which the appeal period will be counted. It will not vary from person to person," an official source said.

The NRC authorities had earlier said the hearings of the excluded people before the publication of the final NRC on August 31 had been held at venues away from their designated NRC Seva Kendras (NSKs). "The process of collection of the orders passed by the NRC officers is being carried out to enable early availability of the same to the public to file appeals. The time frame for this process will be announced shortly," they said.

The certified copy of reason of rejection is essentially the first document an excluded person has to collect to prepare his appeal. Based on the exclusion reason cited by the NRC authorities, he or she has to choose the appropriate documents from among 23 prescribed ones for submission in the tribunals to claim Indian citizenship.

The ministry of home affairs had in May amended The Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964 for laying down the modalities for the tribunals to decide on the appeals made by those not satisfied with the outcome of claims and objections filed against the NRC.

The excluded persons who do not prefer to move the tribunals within the 120-day time frame will also have to face the tribunals. The amended rule states that district deputy commissioners can refer the names of such people to the tribunals for their opinion on whether the appellant is a 'foreigner' or not within the meaning of the Foreigners Act, 1946.

Altogether 19,06,657 people were excluded in the final NRC published on August 31.

The state government has set up 200 foreigners' tribunals in addition to the existing 100 to take up the appeals of the NRC-rejected persons. The Gauhati high court has selected 221 retired judicial officials, retired civil servants and experienced advocates to adjudicate these cases.