NRC: SC seeks data on district-wise percentage of population left out so far

In the case relating to the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the Supreme Court today has asked the Assam State Coordinator for a district-wise breakup of all the people who have been left out of the draft NRC..The Court has also allowed certain bodies to participate in the consultation process..The government had recently announced a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) as per which those left out of the draft NRC would be included if their citizenship is proved beyond reasonable doubt..The Bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Rohinton Nariman today said that the stakeholders in the process have to identified. In this light, the Court has identified the petitioners, along with groups like All Assam Students Union, All Assam minorities Students Union and Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind as stakeholders who can make their suggestions before the State Coordinator..The State Coordinator has been directed to make the draft NRC list available at all Panchayat offices, and to inform all concerned that the process of receipt of claims and objections will begin on August 30..The Court said that the time frame for the process will be decided after the consultation process has ended. The next date of hearing has been fixed for August 28..During a previous hearing, the Court had noted that the NRC prepared by the government is only a draft and cannot be the basis for action by any authority.