NRC: SC orders 10% sample verification in each district

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday ordered sample verification of 10% of NRC final draft in each districts of Assam signaling that all in not well in ongoing NRC process.

The Supreme Court bench consisting Mr Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Mr Justice Rohington Fali Nariman while issuing the order however did not specify from when to when this recertification process would be conducted but instructed NRC Chief Coordinator Prateek hajela to furnish a full plan of action by September 4. The court also instructed that recertification process would be conducted by officers of other districts.

This is noteworthy that NRC authorities had submitted district wise datas in seal cover and based n the datas, the SC today ordred the 10% reverification.

Meanwhile SC lawyers Upamanayu Hazarika has welcomed the judgement. He said that The Supreme Court's direction for 10% sample verification in every district is most welcome.

It is a fact as pointed out in my representation of 26th August, 2018 to the Registrar General of India and State Coordinator of NRC Assam, that there are fundamental flaws in the procedure adopted, which cannot be corrected or rectified through the claims and objection process.

The flaws are institutional and intrinsic to the process and can be rectified only through re-verification at the institutional level. It is a matter of concern that though the flaws and the discrepancies were within the knowledge of the RGI and NRC authorities, however they chose to keep silent and the draft list in the present form, if it becomes final would have included a large number of foreigners.

The sample re-verification must be carried out with all honesty and objectivity and should not be a cover-up exercise.