The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955.
A Constitution Bench, headed by CJI D. Y. Chandrachud, was dealing with a clutch of petitions challenging the vires of Section 6A, which was inserted to give effect to the Assam Accord and formed the basis of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam in 2019.
In December last year, the five-judge Bench, also comprising Justices Surya Kant, M.M. Sundresh, J. B. Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra, reserved its decision after hearing oral arguments from both sides.
The majority upheld the constitutional validity of the impugned provision, while, Justice Pardiwala, in his minority opinion, struck down Section 6A of the Citizenship Act with prospective effect.
During the hearing, the Supreme Court had asked the Union government to inform it about the administrative steps taken to prevent the inflow of illegal immigrants into Indian territory in northeastern states, particularly from Assam.
It had called for a common affidavit from the Union and Assam governments about the number of Bangladeshi immigrants granted citizenship in Assam between January 1, 1966, and March 25, 1971, under section 6A (2) of the Citizenship Act, 1955.
In response, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that illegal immigrants entered the country in a clandestine and surreptitious manner, and therefore, it is not possible to collect accurate data on such people.
Earlier, the top court had observed that the primary question in the case was "whether Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 suffers from any constitutional infirmity".
The amended Section 6A provided that "all persons of Indian origin who came before the 1st day of January 1966 to Assam from the specified territory (including such of those whose names were included in the electoral rolls used for the General Election to the House of the People held in 1967) and who have been ordinarily resident in Assam since the dates of their entry into Assam shall be deemed to be citizens of India as from the 1st day of January 1966".
Man held with stealing gold worth Rs 1 lakh while selling in jewelry shop
Alertness by a local jeweller and swift police action led to the arrest of a 24‑year‑old man who tried to sell stolen ornaments at SB Jewellers opposite Kali Bari in Bishramganj Madhya Bazar on Thursday afternoon.
Man found hanging in abandoned office
A sense of deep sorrow has gripped the Madhuban Jharjharia area under Amtali after the lifeless body of a young man was recovered from an abandoned building near the local electricity office on Thursday afternoon.
State making steady progress across all sectors: CM
Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha today said that solving the basic problems of the people is one of the goals of the present government and Tripura is moving forward in all areas including health, education and sports.
State Cabinet passes resolution congratulating PM Modi, armed forces for success of 'Operation Sindoor'
The Tripura State Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha, extended its heartfelt congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian Armed Forces for the successful execution of the anti-militancy mission, Operation Sindoor.
Maulana Azad National Urdu University cancels MoU with Turkish institute
Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) has announced the cancellation of its academic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Yunus Emre Institute of Turkey in the wake of Turkey's support to Pakistan in the recent Indo-Pak conflict following the terror attack at Pahalgam.
After JNU, Jamia suspends MoUs with institutions in Turkey over support to Pakistan
Several prominent Indian universities have suspended their academic Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with institutions in Turkey, citing national security concerns.
India revokes security clearance of Turkey’s Celebi Airport Services
The government on Thursday revoked the security clearance for Turkish ground-handling firm Celebi Airport Services at the Indian airports, as calls grew to ban Turkish businesses in the wake of their country supporting Pakistan which harbours terrorism.
Indus Treaty on hold until Pakistan 'credibly and irrevocably' abjures support for cross-border terrorism
External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Thursday made it clear that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) will remain suspended until Pakistan stops sheltering internationally designated terrorist entities and individuals who are also engaged in cross-border terrorism against India.