Give fair hearing to NRC-affected: Supreme Court

In the run-up to the publication of Assam's final National Register of Citizens (NRC) on July 31, the Supreme Court said on Thursday that the exercise of disposing of claims must be done in all fairness, by giving a proper hearing to the affected citizens. It also directed the state and Gauhati High Court to ensure setting up of 200 foreigner tribunals in the state by September 1 for hearing appeals by those excluded in the final NRC.

Referring to media reports suggesting that the process of dealing with claims and objections of close to 36 lakh residents who stood excluded from the draft NRC published last year was not fair, the Vacation Bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Aniruddha Bose said, "There are disturbing reports in the media and media is not always incorrect. The job of NRC is to ensure hearing of claims is done in proper manner."

The court's remark coincided with a news report about a former Army officer and winner of President's medal being detained in Assam after a Foreigner Tribunal declared him to be an illegal migrant.

The bench told State's NRC Coordinator Pratik Hajela that though there is a deadline, the officers must be fair in disposing of claims. "Merely disposing 70-80 per cent claims is no good unless the disposal is properly done," the bench said.

The court even took stock of the preparations being made by the state to cater to appeals likely to arise after the publication of final NRC.

The draft NRC saw over 40 lakh exclusions.

The state government, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, informed the court that 200 foreigner tribunals are proposed to be set up.