The Home Ministry issued a statement on Monday, saying that those excluded in the final National Register of Citizens were “not to be detained under any circumstance” till they exhaust all options for legal recourse. The ministry said that a judicial process was available for those left out of the register to appeal to the foreigners’ tribunal within a stipulated time.

“Adequate judicial process available for affected persons to appeal to foreigners tribunal within 120 days from 31.08.2019,” the home ministry tweeted. “To facilitate appeal, 200 new FTs [foreign tribunals] to be functional from today [Monday], in addition to 100 already existing.” Those not included in the final list would continue to “enjoy all rights as earlier” similar to those of a bonafide citizen, such as right to employment and education among other things, the ministry said.

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The Assam government had also arranged for the required facilities for providing legal assistance through the District Legal Services Authority, the statement said.

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NRC final list: What happens to more than 19 lakh people left out of the register?

The database, which was published on Saturday, excluded more than 19 lakh people. Out of 3.3 crore applicants, 3.11 were included in the list apart from those who did not submit claims after the last draft was published in July.

After the list was published, Assam minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that the final list of the register had excluded the names of many Indians who had migrated from Bangladesh as refugees before 1971, which was the cut-off year to prove citizenship.

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On Monday, Sarma said that the state government would approach the Supreme Court again for a reverification process in the register in two districts to review its flaws.

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‘The right to have rights’: What Assam’s NRC tells us about citizenship and human rights

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