Centre submits SOP for deciding NRC claims

The Union government on Tuesday submitted before the Supreme Court a standard operating procedure (SOP) to decide claims and objections of about 40 lakh people left out in the draft National Citizen Register prepared in Assam.

The SOP would include documentary evidence produced by the people as well as oral evidence. As many as 55,000 officers would be deputed to verify the claims the people in the massive exercise to be launched from August 30 to October 28.

“The biometric enrollment of all claimants of the NRC would be collected by the state government in collaboration of the UIDAI. Once the final NRC has been published such persons who are included in the NRC would be given usual Aadhaar number as applicable to legal residents in the country. In case, a person already has an Aadhaar number who is part of the claims or objected upon, his Aadhaar number will be obtained,” the affidavit filed by the Ministry of Home Affairs said.

On Tuesday, a counsel, appearing for the Union government, sought permission from a bench presided over by Justice Ranjan Gogoi for furnishing the SOP. The court is likely to consider the matter, relating to compliance of its judgement on preparing NRC on August 16.

As many as 2.89 crore people were found eligible for the final draft NRC, published on July 30, and over 40.07 lakh were left out in the exercise undertaken under its monitoring.