The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Centre to provide data regarding the number of Bangladeshi immigrants who were granted Indian citizenship in Assam between January 1, 1966, and March 25, 1971.
Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud led a five-judge constitution bench currently overseeing 17 petitions examining the constitutional validity of section 6A of the Citizenship Act, specifically addressing illegal immigrants in Assam.
The bench directed the state government to provide this data to the Centre, with a deadline for filing an affidavit set for December 11.
The constitution bench urged the Centre to inform the court about the measures taken to address illegal immigration into India, particularly in the North Eastern states. Asserting the need for data-based disclosures, the bench directed the Centre to submit an affidavit by Monday.
The court specified that the affidavit should encompass details regarding the number of immigrants from Bangladesh granted Indian citizenship under section 6A of the Act. The inquiry also involves considering the count of individuals who migrated from Bangladesh to India between January 1, 1966, and March 25, 1971. Additionally, the bench sought information on the detection of foreigners by the Foreigners Tribunals Order 1964 during that period.
During the proceedings, the bench inquired about the steps taken to address illegal immigration, especially in the North East, and sought information on the extent of border fencing in that region.
Earlier in the day, the bench questioned the Centre’s decision to exclude West Bengal from the scope of section 6A of the Citizenship Act, despite sharing a larger border with Bangladesh compared to Assam.
The ongoing hearing is examining section 6A, introduced into the Citizenship Act as a special provision to address the citizenship of individuals covered by the Assam Accord. This provision establishes the cut-off date for granting citizenship to Bangladeshi migrants in Assam as March 25, 1971.
