SC ruling draws flak from Assam indigenous people
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, December 13 2015: Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha (ASM) or the Confederation of Indigenous People of Assam has alleged that the "Supreme Courts' independent Judiciary status has eroded its unique position by a systematic encroachment" on its functioning by the present Narendra Modi led Government.

In a press statement issued on Sunday, ASM stated that the erosion of the position can be exemplified by its total turn about in delivering the judgement on July 12, 2005 which scrapped the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal ) (IMDT) Act or (IMDT Act) 1983 "as null and void" .

ASM said that in this verdict on PIL no.131/2001, the Supreme Court declared that the unabated illegal migration to Assam and northeast is a "Silent aggression to the Sovereignty of Assam vis-a-vis the country as a whole" .

The same Court was of the view that as per Article 355 of Constitution, any silent aggression in any part of the country, it is of paramount duty of the Government if India to tackle the situation on a "war-footing" .

However, the successive Central Governments have not done anything, alleged ASM.

The Supreme Court, when it was yet to take a decision on three PILs - Mahasanghas (562/2012), Ahom Sabhas (876/2014) & Assam Movement Martyers & Victim families (311/2015), it seemed to have come under the pressure of the Central Government and decided that the illegal foreigners settled in Assam from 1951 to 1971 (Total 21 years) approximately about 70 lakh East Pakistan & Nepali population should be enrolled in the ensuing NRC update and subsequently it should be readied before the 2016 Assembly Election of Assam, alleged ASM.

The Mahasangha said that nine years after scraping of the IMDT Act, the Apex Court has made a "volte face" by giving a Verdict on December 17, 2014 negating the very stand the Supreme Court stood against the IMDT Act.

"The ramification of this Act is going to throttle and finish off the Indigenous People of Assam and vis-�-vis the North East.

The same court which termed the unabated influx as a Silent Aggression, has now been forced to change its earlier stand due to manipulation of the Modi Government to act as a benefactor of illegal foreigners" .

The press release was issued by Matiur Rahman, the working president of Assam Sanmilita Mahasngha.

Rehman was in Imphal on Sunday with a 12-member team of different ethnic groups of Assam that participated in the 1st North East Indigenous Peoples' Parliament.

He further stated that the three PILs which were sent to the Constitutional bench for the final verdict have been kept in abeyance for the last 12 months due to political pressure of the present BJP Government.

"Without settling the judgement & its subsequent base year of the three PILs, the whole process of the NRC update in Assam has been made a farce by this mischievous interim judgement in favour of the illegal foreigners", Rahman said.

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