3.11 Crore citizens remain deprived of citizenship cards in Asaam even six years after the final NRC

Despite notices issued on a petition filed by the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and AAMSU, the Central Government and the Assam Government have still not filed their responses

The Supreme Court has granted them six weeks’ time to submit their replies

The present state government wants to keep the citizenship issue alive for political gains: Maulana Arshad Madani

Bringing the NRC process to its legal conclusion is essential for peace and harmony: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind

New Delhi: 10 August 2026

A significant petition filed by the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and All Assam Minorities Students’ Union (AAMSU), through Advocate-on-Record Fuzail Ahmed Ayyubi, concerning the implementation of the final NRC in Assam and the issuance of National Identity Cards to the citizens included in it, was heard today before a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice S. M. Narsimha and Justice Alok Aradhe.

However, as neither the Central Government nor the Assam Government had filed their responses despite notices having been issued, the court adjourned the hearing for six weeks. During the proceedings, the government counsel sought additional time to file the response, which the court granted.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing on behalf of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, informed the court that despite the notices having been issued, the Central and State Governments had not yet filed their responses. He stated that they would now be required to place their objections and responses before the court. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal further informed the court that the Registrar General of India has already filed a response to the petition submitted by the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, to which the Jamiat will soon file a rejoinder. He also drew the court’s attention to the important fact that, despite six years having passed since the publication of the final NRC, National Identity Cards have still not been issued to the individuals included in it.

Reacting to today’s proceedings in the Supreme Court, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind President Maulana Arshad Madani said that the failure of the Central and Assam Governments to file their responses despite the notices, and the failure to complete the legal process even six years after the publication of the final NRC, strengthens the suspicion that the sensitive issue of citizenship is deliberately being kept alive for political gains.

Maulana Madani said that, in the past, communal forces in Assam repeatedly exploited this sensitive issue by branding Muslims as foreigners and casting doubt on their status in the eyes of the majority community. As a result, communal tension has persisted at the social level in the state. Whether it was the issue of replacing Panchayat certificates, the determination of a cut-off date for citizenship, or attempts to shut down madrasas in the state, the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has stood firmly with the oppressed on every such occasion, using all its resources and strength, and has successfully fought their cases.

Maulana Madani further said that the present state government is pursuing a politics of discrimination and hatred and following an anti-Muslim agenda. For political gains, it wants to keep the citizenship issue alive. This is why the government is deliberately delaying the issuance of identity cards to people even after the publication of the final NRC. He further said that completing the NRC process in Assam in accordance with the law is essential for restoring peace and harmony in the state. It is also necessary for safeguarding the constitutional principles of equality, fraternity, and the rule of law.

It may be noted that, under the guidance and patronage of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind President Maulana Arshad Madani, Maulana Mushtaq Anfar, President of Jamiat Ulama Assam, has been pursuing and successfully fighting important cases concerning the NRC, Panchayat Certificates, and Section 6A for the past 14 years. The Assam issue was highly sensitive, as had communal elements succeeded in their objectives, it was feared that, according to estimates, the citizenship of hundreds of thousands of Muslims could have been put at risk.

Today, Maulana Mushtaq Anfar, President of Jamiat Ulama Assam; Maulana Kaleemuddin; the President of AAMSU; and other office-bearers were present at the Supreme Court during the proceedings.