NRC: 200 additional foreigners tribunal to function in Assam from Monday

As many as 200 additional foreigners tribunals will be operational in Assam from Monday where bona fide citizens, whose names do not figure in the final NRC, can approach to challenge their exclusion, officials said on Friday.

These tribunals are being set up by the Assam government with the Centre's assistance.

"As of now, 100 foreigners tribunals are functioning. From September 1, a total of 200 additional foreigners tribunals will start functioning across Assam," a senior Home Ministry official said.

The tribunals will be required after the publication of the final National Register of Citizens, a list of Assam's residents, on Saturday.

People who may be excluded from the final NRC can approach any one of these tribunals for inclusion of their names, the official said.

The Centre has already extended the time period for appeal in a foreigners tribunal from 60 days to 120 days.

The home ministry had planned to set up a total of 1,000 foreigners tribunal in phases.

When the draft NRC was published on July 30 last year, there was a huge controversy over the exclusion of 40.7 lakh people from it.

The draft included names of 2.9 crore people out of 3.29 crore applicants. In addition to those excluded, the names of over a lakh people were also left out in a list published last month.

The Supreme Court-monitored NRC exercise, aimed at identifying illegal immigrants, mostly from Bangladesh, was carried out only in Assam, which has been facing influx of people from the neighbouring country since the early 20th century.