1000 tribunals for post NRC rush in offing

Assam is planning 1000 foreigner's tribunals to handle the post-NRC avalanche of foreigner's cases as Chief Secretary Alok Kumar today deposed before the Supreme Court case in regard of the future of the missing 70,000 declared foreigners as well as to deal the people whose names are to be left out of the NRC.

The Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi interacted with him directly on detention and deportation issue of NRC while Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was asked not to interfere during the hearing. The Chief Secretary admitted that a total of 44,000 declared foreigners went missing and examination of the remaining 36000 going on.

This has angered the SC today and reprimanded the Chief Secretary, who admitted that Assam Government did not work properly on this matter between 2015-1018.

So far the Supreme Court has been focusing on the detection part of the foreigner. As the NRC is entering the final phase and the final list is coming out on July 31, the Supreme court has now redirected their attention to the judicial process that will start with the release of the final NRC list.

The biggest issue that on August 1, 2018, NRC expected to flush out more than 20 lakh names as non-Indians. This will spark a major legal log jam as each of them will be a long legal battle starting from lower Tribunals and till now there is no mechanism is in place.

Assam has now 100 tribunals and it has been proposed to make it 1000 tribunals to handle this avalanche of cases..

The Chief Secretary informed that court that more than 1000 courts and presiding officers required for adjudication of those whose name are missing. He said proposal of Rs 900 crore sent to MHA since per tribunal cost of 90 lacs per year. A meeting is to take place with Registrar General Guwahati High Court next week

The Chief Justice wanted to know how 1000 tribunals are going to be constituted to handle the huge number of people that are coming after the NRC list.

Meanwhile, the Solicitor General Mehta requested the matter to be taken up after 23 April and stated that State of Assam will file another affidavit

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Secretary informed that the state government did not pay attention to strengthen the mechanism to keep the 70,000 declared foreigners in detention.

This is noteworthy that last week Assam Government had informed the Supreme Court that these 40,000 merged into Assam's society as the Border police do not have their details and neither they have the infrastructure to trace them out.

An angry Supreme Court ordered Chief Secretary to personally present there and explain the situation. The court today appointed senior advocate Gaurav Banerjee as Amicus Curie to help the court in this matter.