Those left out of NRC must get exclusion order copy soon: NGO

Citizens for Justice and Peace, an NGO helmed by rights activist Teesta Setalvad, said on Sunday that those left out of the NRC should immediately get hold of a copy of the exclusion order, which would enable them to file appeals before tribunals in stipulated time.

The NGO also said that the nitty-gritty and modalities for filing the appeals were still awaited.

Every excluded person will need access to a "certified copy of the exclusion order and the list of documents submitted by them to the NRC authorities", CJP Secretary Teesta Setalvad said in a statement.

"We hope the authorities make the documents available at the earliest and clarify whether the deadline of 120 days starts after these documents are accessed," she pointed out.

The updated National Register of Citizens (NRC), which identifies bona fide Indian citizens in Assam, was published on Saturday.

A total of 3,30,27,661 people had applied for inclusion in the register. Of them, 19,06,657 were excluded, a statement from the NRC State Coordinator's office said.

Those excluded have 120 days to appeal against it at Foreigners Tribunals. If not satisfied with the verdict of the tribunals, they can move the High Court and the Supreme Court for redress.

Given the stakes involved, it is "crucial that these Foreigners' Tribunals function transparently, following acceptable and standardized processes of allowing appeals and evidence", the CJP statement said.

The NGO's objective, after the publication of the final NRC, is to help the excluded people defend their citizenships before the Foreigners' Tribunals, it added.