Excluded people from NRC fear about losing their citizenship, FTs set to hear appeals

Now 521 Foreigners’ Tribunals will deal with the cases of people who are excluded from the final list.

The Gauhati High Court has recently announced a list of 221 people selected for appointment as members of Foreigners’ Tribunals and the Assam government will soon appoint the Foreigners’ Tribunal members.

Currently, Assam has 100 Foreigners’ Tribunals (FTs) and 221 more FTs to be set up in all districts of the state soon.

Apart from it, the state government will set up 200 additional Foreigners’ Tribunals in the state by December this year.

The Foreigners' Tribunals are Quasi judicial courts mandated to hear appeals of those excluded from the final NRC.

The government has clearly said that, those people, who were left out of the final NRC list, will not be detained under any circumstances till Foreigners’ Tribunals declare their decisions.

The centre has extended the time-limit for filing of appeals before the FTs from 60 days to 120 days.

All Assam Lawyers’ Association Joint Secretary Tailen Das said that, the government will send notices to the excluded persons and from the date of receive the notice, the person will get 120 days to appeal before the Foreigners’ Tribunal.

“19 lakh people are not included in the NRC. The government will issue a notice to the excluded people, why their names were not included. From the date of receive the notice, they can appeal before the Foreigners’ Tribunals within 120 days. The government has recently selected 221 new Foreigners’ Tribunal members and they may be appointed within a week. To appeal before the Foreigners’ Tribunal, each person need have some documents before 24 March, 1971. Those people have valid documents they will get free legal aid from the government. Many bar associations had decided to provide free legal aid to the people those have valid documents,” Tailen Das said.

The Assam government has recently announced to provide free legal aid to the people who were excluded from the final NRC.

On the other hand, senior advocate of Gauhati High Court Bijon Mahajan said that, as per law is concerned, any person whose name not included in the final list, he can appeal.

“The provision is there as per as the rule 8 of the Citizenship Rules, 2003, the schedule to be same. So anybody whose name is not included in the NRC, he will not be treated as a foreigner. He has right to appeal. The state government has categorically stated, any needy person, whose name is not included in the NRC, he will be given legal aid. Legal aid is must. So far as lawyers’ body is concerned, we are discussing and definitely legal aid will be provided those are needy,” Bijon Mahajan said.

(By Hemanta Kumar Nath, Guwahati)