GUWAHATI, Sep 21:Arunachal Pradesh has finalized 900 applications out of 4,637 for citizenship in accordance with a September 2015 Supreme Court order asking the state government and the Centre to confer citizenship on Chakma and Hajong refugees.

The state government had submitted before the apex court on July 11last that the applications of another "1,014 will be completed within two months" and the "remaining will be finalized in five months positively". The court ordered that if the pending cases are not finalized within five months from that day, the chief secretary of Arunachal Pradesh would be present in person in court on every date of listing of the matter. The court has fixed December 12 as the next date of hearing.

A total of 4,637 Chakmas living in Arunachal had earlier applied to the Union Home Ministry for citizenship. In 2012, on a writ petition by the Committee for Citizenship Rights of the Chakmas of Arunachal Pradesh, the then additional solicitor general, B Bhattacharyya, had submitted that all applications received by the Union home ministry, were returned to the state government as the applications were not made to the appropriate authority in the prescribed form and were also not accompanied by recommendations of the state government as per statutory requirement.

The Centre, following strong protests from the state government, is now preparing to file a review petition before the Supreme Court for the review of its 2015 directive and the most sensitive issue is the granting of equal rights to the Chakma and Hajong people, particularly the Inner Line Permit, which every outsider, including Indians from other states, is required to obtain before travelling to the frontier tribal state. The provision of the travel restrictions has been enshrined in the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873 with an objective of protecting the tribes of the state from outside culture.

The SC in its 2015 order had observed that on the basis of the stand taken by the government of India, the Chakmas have a right to citizenship. "It also stands recognized by judicial decisions that they cannot be required to obtain any Inner Line permit as they are settled in the state of Arunachal Pradesh," the order stated.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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