Assam NRC: India can't be refugee capital of world, Centre tells SC

NEW DELHI: The Centre and the Assam government on Friday moved the Supreme Court seeking extension of the July 31 deadline for finalisation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Moving the Supreme Court, solicitor general Tushar Mehta told a bench of CJI Ranjan Gogoi and Justice R F Nariman that "Illegal migrants have no place in the country. India cannot be the refugee capital of the world."
The Union and state government also sought sample verification of the citizens included in the NRC, saying lakhs of people have been wrongly included in areas bordering Bangladesh due to involvement of local officers.
At the request of solicitor general, the SC postponed hearing on NRC sample re-verification plea to Tuesday.
The first draft of the NRC for Assam was published on the intervening night of December 31, 2017 and January 1, 2018 in accordance with the top court's direction. Names of 1.9 crore people out of the 3.29 crore applicants were incorporated then.
Assam, which had faced influx of people from Bangladesh since the early 20th century, is the only state having an NRC which was first prepared in 1951.