Human Rights Protection Society to seek stay on NRC update

Silchar, July 7: Barak Valley Human Rights Protection Society (BVHRPS) which filed a case in the Supreme Court last month will pray for stay on the ongoing NRC update process. Niladri Roy, lawyer and a spokesperson of the Society said here that Abhijit Bhattacharjee, a lawyer on record of the Apex Court has been engaged. To assist him, the eminent lawyer Prasanta Bhushan, former AAP leader, has also been engaged. After preliminary hearing, Supreme Court has listed the case on July 9.
According to Niladri Roy, on the date when Prasanta Bhushan is expected to argue, seeking stay on the NRC update, the Chief Justice of India will decide whether the case should be kept with him. Or it is to be sent to a division bench for further hearing. In the meantime, on July 14 another hearing of a case on NRC as filed by Assam Works Committee will also come up for further hearing before the two judge bench.
Barak Valley Human Rights Protection Society is hopeful that the problems faced by the linguistic and religious minorities, tea tribes, tribals and people of other communities in meeting the requirements of NRC, particularly legacy data or linkage on the basis of electoral rolls till midnight of March 24, 1971 will be properly placed and argued by Prasanta Bhushan. The eminent lawyer has been briefed in detail all about the developments in Assam with the NRC update and its harsh modalities prepared by the 8 member Cabinet Sub-Committee of the Gogoi Government.
President of Assam Nagarik Mancha, Ardhendu Dey, which is assisting the Society, has expressed his hope and confidence of positive outcome in favour of the harassed people of Assam. Niladri Roy said the latest revised electoral rolls of 2014, one of the documents for NRC, should be the basis of arguments before the Apex Court. He added to say there is every logic and justification to accept 2014 rolls as one of the documents. He reminded that the electoral rolls of Assam have been revised several times since 1985.
The Election Commission of India has also accepted the voters’ lists since 1971 for Parliamentary and Assembly elections, on the basis of which people’s representatives have been elected and sent to the houses. It is on the instruction of EC that the ‘D’ voters have been detected and their names deleted from electoral rolls. How could the bonafide of these voters be challenged, Niladri Roy argued? The Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi and a host of his former and present ministers have openly argued for accepting 2014 rolls as one of the documents. Sushmita Dev, MP of Silchar, has even been campaigning with Ardhendu Dey for 2014 rolls.
Niladri Roy said voters who have their names on the electoral rolls should not be subjected to undue harassment, questioning their being genuine Indian citizens or not. Moreover, the NRC update itself is in contravention of the 1955 Citizenship Act, he pointed out. Prasanta Bhushan assisted by Abhijit Bhattacharjee will place these arguments before the Supreme Court to make it clear that the entire process ultra vires the Constitution and fundamental rights of the Indian citizens. (Source:SentinelAssam)

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