A Day After SC Upholds Sec 6 A, Meghalaya’s HYC Demands ILP

A day after the Supreme Court upheld the legal and constitutional validity of Section 6 A of the Citizenship Act, the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) of Meghalaya expressed concerns regarding

A day after the Supreme Court upheld the legal and constitutional validity of Section 6 A of the Citizenship Act, the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) of Meghalaya expressed concerns regarding the potential influx of illegal immigrants from Assam into Meghalaya following the judgment.

Roy Kupar Synrem, president of HYC emphasized the need for laws similar to the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Meghalaya to regulate the movement of outsiders, as the state currently lacks such legal frameworks.

Synrem stated, “We have been raising the issue of illegal immigrants since the previous government. The state needs to implement the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system and also conduct the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to identify those who came after 1971 and push them back.”

He added, “Bordering Bangladesh is not the only issue contributing to illegal immigration in the state; we also share a border with Assam. If foreigners are pushed back from Assam, Meghalaya is one of the main entry points for them. Despite all these concerns, the Central and State governments are still not taking the implementation of ILP in Meghalaya seriously.”

Synrem highlighted that many individuals deported from Assam as foreigners might seek refuge in Meghalaya, raising fears about the implications for the state’s demographics.

The HYC has reiterated its demands for the implementation of the ILP and an exercise akin to the National Register of Citizens (NRC), suggesting a cutoff year of 1971. Synrem criticized both the central and state governments for their lack of seriousness regarding these issues, particularly in the context of illegal immigration. He warned that the absence of robust immigration controls could lead to a significant number of illegal immigrants entering Meghalaya due to its long border with Assam.

The 5-Judge Constitution Bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices Surya Kant, MM Sundresh, JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra gave a 4-1 judgement upholding the Section.

Section 6A is a special provision inserted into the 1955 Act in furtherance of a Memorandum of Settlement called the “Assam Accord” signed on August 15, 1985, by the then Rajiv Gandhi government with the representatives of the Assam Movement following the Indo-Pakistan War in 1971.

The court’s decision means that the non-resident Indians who came from Bangladesh between January 1, 1966 and March 25, 1971 are eligible for citizenship. Those who have got citizenship under this will retain their citizenship.

The order came on a petition that contended that the arrival of Bangladeshi refugees had impacted the demographic balance of Assam. It said Section 6A of the Citizenship Act violated the political and cultural rights of the original residents of the state.

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