New Delhi: The Supreme Court directed that children whose names are excluded from the National Register of Citizens (NRC) but whose parents or guardians' names are not, should be allowed to remain with their loved ones at any cost.
The apex court also sought an explanation from the Assam government over the allegation raised by an NGO that the state coordinator for NRC was making communal statements.
Senior lawyer Aparna Bhat, who appeared for the NGO, maintained that despite all documents being submitted, the names of at least 60 children they knew of were not found on the list.
“Will these children be sent to detention camps?” Bhat asked the court.
The NGO and their lawyer contested that the exclusion of their names was in direct contravention of the state's obligation towards children.
Attorney General K K Venugopal and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the Assam government, said such children will not be separated from their parents.
“Children excluded from NRC whose parents have been given citizenship will not be sent to detention centres in Assam,” Venugopal said.
The bench headed by Chief Justice of India Sharad A Bobde who viewed the matter very seriously gave the state a four-week deadline to give an explanation. Notices were also sent to both the Centre and the state government on several other petitions filed relating to the NRC work.
The court has been monitoring the NRC activities in Assam where over 19 lakh people in the state have been excluded from the final list that was published on August 31, 2019.
