Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed a “mixed reaction of happiness and sorrow” regarding the Supreme Court’s recent judgment on the cut-off date of the Assam Accord. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Sarma emphasized the need for the Assamese people to continue their struggles moving forward.
When asked about the verdict, Sarma stated, “I don’t know if this judgment is historic or not. The government enacted the Assam Accord, so its stand in the court was that the cut-off date should be 1971. However, many people in Assam wished the cut-off date to be 1951.”
In a majority verdict delivered on Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, which grants Indian citizenship to immigrants who entered Assam between January 1, 1966, and March 25, 1971. A five-judge Constitution Bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, declared the Assam Accord a political solution to the issue of illegal migration.
Sarma remarked, “I feel that this verdict establishes 1971 as the cut-off date, and my reaction is mixed. There is both happiness and sorrow in it. Therefore, I don’t want to label it a historic judgment; it is simply a blend of both emotions.”
The Assam Accord was signed in 1985 following a six-year-long anti-foreigner movement and stipulates that all foreigners who arrived in Assam after March 25, 1971, would be identified and removed from electoral rolls, with steps taken to deport them.
The Supreme Court’s majority verdict confirmed that the cut-off date of March 25, 1971, for granting citizenship is appropriate, affirming the special provision added to the Citizenship Act in 1985 to address the citizenship status of those covered under the Assam Accord.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad hailed the Supreme Court’s ruling as “historic,” stating, “Today the Supreme Court has delivered a very historic verdict on the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act. The core of this provision is that those who entered Assam until 1966 will be treated as citizens of India, and those who came between 1966 and 1971 shall be subject to compliance with the required rules. All those who have come after 1971 will surely be treated as illegal immigrants.”
Section 6A allows individuals of Indian descent who entered Assam from Bangladesh before January 1, 1966, to be granted citizenship if they have remained in the state since. Those who entered between January 1, 1966, and March 25, 1971, must register with authorities, receiving citizenship rights after ten years, excluding voting rights initially.