The Supreme Court on Tuesday, 5 February, slammed the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), saying that the Centre does not want the National Registration of Citizens of India (NRC) to carry on. It also said that the Centre comes up with different stories to destroy this process, reported ANI.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday responded to the SC’s lashing, stating that the government was committed to complete the update to the NRC and would do so within the stipulated time.
NRC Work Must Go On: SC
“It seems entire effort of MHA is to destroy the NRC process,” the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi observed on Tuesday, reported PTI.
The apex court expressed anguish at the Centre’s plea seeking to stall the NRC work for two weeks keeping in mind the role of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in the election duty, the report added.
"If you want NRC to go on then there are 1,001 ways to do it. NRC work must go on. We are very disappointed," the SC said, according to The Times of India.
The SC further stated that the Centre is not cooperating in the NRC process, and reiterated that the 31 July deadline for the completion of the process would not be extended, reported PTI.
The SC’s observation came while dismissing a plea for withdrawal of 167 companies of combined armed forces from Assam, saying the central forces can’t be withdrawn from the state, reported Hindustan Times.
The government was also seeking the suspension of the NRC process to which the court replied that “it is too much to ask for both,” according to the report.
The top court also asked the Election Commission to consider exempting certain state officers from election duty to ensure that the NRC process continues.
Govt Committed to Complete NRC: Rajnath Singh
Responding to the SC’s words, Home Minister Rajnath Singh asserted that the government is committed to complete the NRC process in Assam within the stipulated time and will ensure that no foreigner is included or any Indian citizen excluded, reported PTI.
He said that the home ministry wants the National Register of Citizens, a list of Assam's residents, to be completed with fairness and for this the state government has been provided with all necessary assistance, including funds.
"Our government is committed to complete the update of NRC within the stipulated time so that no foreigner is included in it and no Indian is left out," he told PTI.
(With inputs from ANI, PTI and Hindustan Times.)
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