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The petitioners argue that the government’s failure to execute the final steps violates the fundamental rights of millions of residents
The Supreme Court’s intervention comes amid significant controversy and political disquiet regarding the 2019 list. (File image/AFP)
The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Centre and the Assam government on a crucial writ petition demanding the completion of the long-pending statutory steps required for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam. The petition, filed jointly by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and the All Assam Minorities Student Union (AAMSU), highlights that the process has been left in legal limbo since the publication of the Final NRC on August 31, 2019.
The petitioners, represented by senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Indira Jaising, argue that the government’s failure to execute the final steps violates the fundamental rights of millions of residents under Articles 14 (Equality) and 21 (Right to Life) of the Constitution, effectively rendering the extensive exercise “incomplete and arbitrary.”
The plea centres on two key mandatory procedures stipulated by the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003, which remain stalled:
Issuance of National Identity Cards: The petition seeks directions to issue National Identity Cards to the approximately 3.11 crore individuals whose names were successfully included in the Final NRC. Senior Advocate Jaising argued that having a citizenship identity card after the Supreme Court-monitored process is a fundamental right.
Issuance of Rejection Slips: Equally critical, the petitioners demand the issuance of official rejection slips to the over 19 lakh persons who were excluded from the list. The slips are a necessary statutory document that enables the excluded individuals to initiate their appeal process before the Foreigners’ Tribunals.
The petitioners stressed that despite the passage of over six years and the massive expenditure of public funds, the finality of the NRC is meaningless until the legal mechanism for both included and excluded individuals is fully operational.
The Supreme Court’s intervention comes amid significant controversy and political disquiet regarding the 2019 list. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments at both the state and central levels expressed dissatisfaction with the final outcome, alleging that many illegal immigrants were included while several genuine citizens were excluded. This dissatisfaction has led to repeated demands for a re-verification of the list—a move the Supreme Court had previously rejected.
By failing to issue the final documents, authorities have left the citizenship status of a massive population in uncertainty, blocking the path to appeal for the excluded and denying conclusive identity proof to those included. The Supreme Court’s notice, issued to the Union of India, the Government of Assam, the Registrar General, and the State NRC Coordinator, now compels the government to state its position on when the conclusion to this decade-long, sensitive exercise will finally be delivered.
Pathikrit Sen Gupta is a Senior Associate Editor with News18.com and likes to cut a long story short. He writes sporadically on Politics, Sports, Global Affairs, Space, Entertainment, And Food. He trawls X via …Read More
Pathikrit Sen Gupta is a Senior Associate Editor with News18.com and likes to cut a long story short. He writes sporadically on Politics, Sports, Global Affairs, Space, Entertainment, And Food. He trawls X via … Read More
November 11, 2025, 04:57 IST
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