A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday will deliver its judgment regarding a group of petitions challenging Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955.
The bench, which includes Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices Surya Kant, MM Sundresh, JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra, had heard the case for over four days before reserving the judgment on 12 December 2023.
Section 6A of the Citizenship Act 1955 allows foreign migrants of Indian origin who arrived in Assam between 1st January 1966 and 25th March 1971 to apply for Indian citizenship.
However, some indigenous groups in Assam have challenged this provision, arguing that it allows the illegal entry of migrants from Bangladesh, according to Live Law.
Thursday’s ruling will determine the validity of citizenship granted to immigrants who entered from Bangladesh between January 1966 and March 1971.
What is Section 6A of the Citizenship Act?
Section 6A of the Citizenship Act is a special provision designed to address the citizenship status of individuals covered by the Assam Accord.
This section was added to the 1955 Act as part of the Memorandum of Settlement known as the Assam Accord, which was signed on 15 August 1985 by the then Rajiv Gandhi government and leaders of the Assam Movement. The accord aimed to preserve and protect Assamese culture, heritage, linguistic identity, and social integrity.
The Assam Accord was an agreement between the Union government and the All Assam Students Union (AASU) as well as the All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP). These groups protested against the influx of Bangladeshi immigrants after Bangladesh, then known as East Pakistan, gained independence from West Pakistan on 26th March 1971.
Section 6A was included in the Citizenship Act to address the concerns of AASU and AAGSP, helping to identify and expel foreign immigrants who entered Assam after 25th March 1971, the Supreme Court Observer report stated.
Comments
0 comment