GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court has quashed the judgement of a Foreigners’ Tribunal in Assam which declared an assistant sub-inspector of the Border Security Force (BSF) and his wife as “foreigners”.
Advocate Nekibur Zaman said the Gauhati HC had “quashed” the judgement of the Foreigners’ Tribunal of Jorhat that declared Mujibur Rahman and his wife Jorzina Begum, who hail from Udaypur-Mikirpatty of Merapani in Golaghat district, as foreigners, ex-parte.
“Now, he (Rahman) will have to go to the tribunal and produce the documents of the court. After the Gauhati HC’s order, he is no longer a declared foreigner. It will not be applicable to him,” Zaman said.
He said the couple belonged to a family of freedom fighters and that they possessed various documents starting from 1926.
“They are genuine Indian citizens. All his family members got included in the NRC (National Register of Citizens). Now, his name and that of his wife will get included in it,” the advocate said.
Illegal immigrants in Assam are determined based on the March 24, 1971 cut-off date.
The NRC was also updated based on this cut-off date.
Rahman, who is an Assamese Muslim and posted in Punjab, had come home on leave during Eid.
He was shocked to learn that he and his wife had been declared foreigners by the Foreigners’ Tribunal. Subsequently, he challenged it in the Gauhati HC.
Rahman had told reporters that he was not aware of the notice served on him by the Foreigners’ Tribunal. He said he would have settled the case if he had known earlier.
“I support any action taken against the illegal immigrants but I want that the genuine Indians should not be tortured this way,” he had said.
Meanwhile, opposition Congress is divided on the NRC. On a day former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi wrote a letter to Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi criticising the NRC as it caused a “grave” and “unprecedented” situation, the party’s Barpeta MP, Abdul Khaleque, dubbed it as historic. He was critical of BJP leaders and others who were opposing the NRC.