Assam withdraws 28,000 cases pending in foreigners tribunals against Koch Rajbongshis
The Assam Cabinet on Friday decided to withdraw 28,000 cases pending against members of the Koch Rajbongshi community in the state’s foreigners tribunals, announced Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
In a social media post, Sarma said the decision was taken “given the integral role of the Koch Rajbongshi community in Assam’s heritage”.
The foreigners tribunals in the state are quasi-judicial bodies that adjudicate on matters of citizenship. There are 100 such tribunals in the state.
People excluded from the National Register of Citizens for Assam or whose citizenship has been marked as “doubtful” can appeal to the tribunals.
Assam published a National Register of Citizens on August 31, 2019, with the aim of separating Indian citizens from undocumented immigrants living in the state. Residents had to prove that they or their ancestors had entered Assam before midnight on March 24, 1971 for them to be included in the list.
Over 19 lakh persons, or 5.77% of the applicants, were left out of the final list.
As of December 31, 2023, 96,149 cases were pending before the state’s foreigners tribunals. These include cases referred by the border police or of people marked as doubtful voters in electoral rolls, The Indian Express reported.
“They are today fighting cases, bearing the insult of being called foreigners,” the chief minister was quoted as saying by The Indian Express on Friday....
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