NGO moves Supreme Court for NRC in Tripura

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre, state of Assam, census commissioner and the Election Commission on a writ petition filed by an NGO, Dopha Yoksama Bodol (an indigenous people’s organisation of Tripura), seeking implementation of the national register for citizens (NRC) to identify illegal immigrants in the state as has been done for Assam.

A three-judge bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and K.M. Joseph issued notices and directed the matter to be tagged with the pending petitions relating to Assam.   

The NGO said while NRC has been prepared in Assam, no such register is being prepared for Tripura which is also facing the influx of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and the problem is more serious in the state of Tripura as the state is surrounded from three sides by Bangladesh and is having unprotected porous border with the neighbouring country.

The petitioners represent majority of indigenous people. The census commissioner is duty bound to collect the census data of the citizens of India and the Election Commission has to prepare the voter list of valid voters and citizens of India, but both are not doing their duties properly.

The state of Tripura has failed in carrying out its legal obligations to prevent influx of illegal immigrants. The petition raised important questions of law, viz whether the Union of India can adopt a policy of pick and choose in reference to illegal immigrants of Bangladeshis only for the State of Assam and not for Tripura, which is much more affected by illegal entry of Bangladeshis.

Also whether the rights of indigenous people which are recognised by the United Nations Declaration of the rights of indigenous people as adopted by the UN General Assembly resolution during its 61st Session at UN Headquarters in New York on dated 13 September 2017 can’t be considered by the state.