Supreme Court Upholds Section 6A of Citizenship Act

The BJP celebrated the Supreme Court's historic decision to uphold the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act. The ruling addresses illegal immigration in Assam, providing citizenship to immigrants who arrived between 1966 and 1971 under certain conditions, and tagging post-1971 immigrants as illegal.

The BJP has lauded the Supreme Court's ruling on Thursday, terming it a 'historic' affirmation of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act's constitutional validity. This decision, a majority verdict by a five-judge Constitution bench, permits Indian citizenship for immigrants arriving in Assam between January 1, 1966, to March 25, 1971.

'Today, the Supreme Court has delivered a very historic verdict on the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act. We welcome this judgment,' stated Senior BJP leader and ex-Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. He clarified that Assam residents who entered by 1966 are citizens, while those arriving between 1966 and 1971 must comply with specified rules, and post-1971 entrants are considered illegal immigrants.

Highlighting the importance of this ruling as a vindication for the people of Assam concerning illegal immigration, Prasad issued a call for action against such immigration while launching an attack on the Congress for engaging in vote bank politics, reminding them of their role in the original inclusion of Section 6A during the Assam Accord under Rajiv Gandhi's leadership.

(With inputs from agencies.)