Apex court proposes to exclude ration card as proof

The Supreme Court on Wednesday proposed to exclude ration card as a proof of citizenship for those seeking to stake claim to Indian citizenship afresh, and sought the central government’s views on the suggestion.

The exercise of allowing those left out of the draft National Register of Citizens to renew their claims will commence soon. Before that, the court wants to know the government’s stand on the documents that can be used as proof of citizenship.

At least 40 lakh people have been left out of the draft NRC, which was released recently in Assam.


Among the 10 documents which can be used are land records and permanent residential certificate issued from outside the state up to March 24, 1971. Passport, LIC policies, government documents, government employment documents, bank/post office accounts, birth certificates, educational certificate and court records can also be used. The documents which will not be allowed include ration cards, refugee registration certificates, electoral rolls and citizenship certificates as the state NRC coordinator Prateek Hajela said these could be manipulated.

A bench, comprising justices Ranjan Gogoi and RF Nariman, sought the Centre’s views on this. It, however, refused to share any reports so far submitted in the court by the NRC coordinator. “We understand the government’s keenness, but we have to balance all interests,” Justice Gogoi told attorney general KK Venugopal.

The information relates to whether those left out of the draft NRC could be allowed to change their legacy to renew their claims with additional documents. There is also a report showing those excluded district-wise.

Based on the district-wise figures, the top court wanted a 10% sample check of the names included in the final draft. Hajela has since placed a report on this as well before the top court. The top court had ordered the NRC, the first in Assam since 1951, to be conducted in a bid to weed out illegal immigrants pouring into the state from neighbouring countries. The exercise is being monitored by the court. The court will now take a call on whether those who were excluded from the draft NRC should get a second shot at doing so by adducing more evidence.