Guwahati: The Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha (ASM), an umbrella organization of indigenous communities of Assam, has called for President Droupadi Murmu’s intervention to ensure hearing of the cases filed by the ASM in Supreme Court with regard to the National Register of Citizens (NRC) of Assam and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019.
ASM working president Matiur Rahman told this reporter on Saturday that the Mahasangha had on January 26 submitted a memorandum to the President of India, drawing her attention to its four-point charter of demands mainly concerning the CAA and the NRC.
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The memorandum highlighted the urgent need for hearing of the cases related to the NRC and the CAA, which were filed by the ASM in the Supreme Court of India.
The Mahasangha argued why lakhs of illegal foreigners from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal have reduced the indigenous communities of Assam to a minority and how various political parties have been safeguarding them for their votes.
According to Rahman, the ASM, in its memorandum to the President, stated that a five-judge constitution bench, headed by the then Chief Justice of India Dhananjay Yeshwant Chandrachud, had on October 17, 2024 issued a verdict in violation of the Constitution of India as it imposed the ‘political decision’ of 1985 on Assam.
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The Assam Accord was signed in 1985 between the Government of India, Government of Assam, All Assam Students’ Union, and All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad. The Assam Accord says that all the illegal immigrants who entered Assam after March 25, 1971 will be identified and deported.
“The base year of 1971 for identification of foreigners only in Assam means that humanity has been shown to illegal foreigners, while the indigenous communities of the State have been made to suffer inhuman treatment. It’s absolutely discriminatory and seems like colonial behaviour towards Assam. The Constitution-mandated cut-off year of 1951 for identification of foreigners should also apply to Assam,” the ASM said in its memo to the President.
The civil society body argued that granting Indian citizenship to foreigners who entered India or Assam from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal after 1951 is unconstitutional and a political crime.
“The sanctuary given to illegal foreigners has posed a great threat to the sovereignty and independence of the country. The President should take appropriate action to stop such anti-national activity,” the Mahasangha said.
The ASM also requested the President to order hearing of the case filed by the Mahasangha in the Supreme Court with regard to the cut-off year for update of the NRC as per the August 13, 2019 order passed by the then Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi. “This is to ensure that the NRC of Assam is updated with 1951 as the base year,” the ASM said.
The Mahasangha further said the President should instruct without delay a five-judge constitution bench to conduct hearing of the cases (nos–68/2016 and 1514/2019) filed by the ASM regarding the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.
“The Government of India should be held guilty of contempt of court because it has implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 in spite of it being under consideration in the Supreme Court of India,” the ASM added.
The ASM alleged that the cases pending in the Supreme Court for long periods have reflected the negligence and autocratic nature of the judicial system of India. It also accused the Government of India of making a mockery of the judicial system of the country.