Gauhati HC rejects Assam man's 16 documents to prove citizenship

Gauhati HC rejects Assam man's 16 documents to prove citizenship

The Gauhati High Court has rejected a petitioner's attempt to prove his citizenship with 16 documents.

The court, in its judgment on June 30, noted, "Though the petitioner has exhibited 16 documents as exhibits, the same does not help the petitioner to establish that he has been able to discharge his burden as required under Section 9...to prove that he is not a foreigner but an Indian citizen."

Documents included 1951 NRC, voter lists

The case was filed by Aminul Hoque, who challenged a February 2019 order of the Foreigners Tribunal, Guwahati. The tribunal had declared him a foreigner.

He submitted documents like the 1951 National Register of Citizens (NRC), voter lists from 1966-2017, land purchase documents from 1973, PAN card, voter IDs, and school certificate to prove his citizenship.

Court questions authenticity of documents

The Assam NRC, completed in 2019, is yet to be notified. It was meant to determine genuine Indian citizens from illegal immigrants.

The court questioned the authenticity of Hoque's documents and his father's oral evidence linking them.

Mere oral evidence without documentary evidence—"which is admissible and relevant"—was insufficient, the court said.