SC agrees to hear plea for NRC re-verification in Assam

New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) The Supreme Court, on Friday, agreed to hear a petition filed by former Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC) Coordinator Hitesh Dev Sarma, seeking a comprehensive re-verification of the NRC in Assam, reigniting debates over one of the state's most politically sensitive issues.

A bench comprising Justice P.S. Narasimha and Justice Atul Chandurkar took up the matter and issued notices to the Union government, the Assam government, the present State NRC Coordinator Partha Pratim Mazumdar, and the Registrar General of India (RGI) Mritunjay Kumar Narayan.

The bench has sought their responses before the next hearing.

The petition contends that the final NRC list, published in August 2019, was riddled with large-scale irregularities and errors, undermining its credibility.

The plea argues that only a complete re-verification exercise can ensure an error-free and reliable NRC, which is of both state and national importance.

"The NRC, in its present form, cannot be treated as final and authentic," the petition states, adding that loopholes in the verification process had allowed the inclusion of ineligible persons while excluding genuine Indian citizens.

Speaking on the NRC issue, Senior advocate Manish Goswami, appearing for Hitesh Dev Sarma, said, "There were several concerns that the NRC contained major errors and was not error-free. In this regard, the former Assam NRC Coordinator filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court. We highlighted the glaring discrepancies before the apex court, and our plea was for a complete re-verification of the NRC. This case is not directed against anyone; our only demand is for an error-free NRC, which is crucial from a national perspective as well. Today, the court heard our arguments, accepted the petition, and issued a notice."

The apex court's move has once again brought the contentious NRC issue back into focus in Assam, where political parties across the spectrum have used it as a rallying point.

With notices issued to all key stakeholders, the stage is set for fresh debates around the credibility, implementation, and political ramifications of the NRC.

The matter will be heard further after responses are filed by the concerned parties.

--IANS

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