SC to deliver verdict on Section 6A of the Citizenship Act 1955

SC to deliver verdict on Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955

Sub : Polity

Sec: Constitution

Context:

• A Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud is set to pronounce judgment regarding the constitutionality of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955.

Section 6A of the Citizenship Act:

• Introduced as part of the Assam Accord signed on August 15, 1985, by the Rajiv Gandhi government.

Provisions:

• Foreigners who entered Assam before January 1, 1966 and been ordinarily resident will have all the rights and obligations of Indian citizens.
• Those entering between January 1, 1966, and March 25, 1971 receive the same rights but cannot vote for 10 years.

Assam Accord:

• It was a tripartite accord signed between the Government of India, State Government of Assam and the leaders of the Assam Movement in 1985.
• It led to the conclusion of a six-year agitation launched by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) in 1979, demanding the identification and deportation of illegal immigrants from Assam.
• It sets a cut-off of midnight of 24th March 1971, for the detection of illegal foreigners in Assam.

About the case:

• The petitioners had questioned why Assam alone, among the border States, had been singled out to implement Section 6A.
• Petitioners argue that Section 6A contributes to a rise in infiltration and demographic changes that threaten Assamese cultural identity.
• The court has requested evidence from petitioners to demonstrate how granted to cross-border migrants between 1966 and 1971 resulted in significant demographic shifts.