Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi on Sunday strongly defended the current exercise of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, saying that it would be a base document for the future.
Justice Gogoi, who is heading an apex court bench which is monitoring the process of NRC in Assam, was also critical of "armchair commentators" who, he said, are not only far away from the ground reality but also present a highly distorted picture due to which Assam and its development agenda have taken a hit.
He said that prior to this exercise enormous amount of guesswork was there regarding the number of illegal immigrants which "in turn fuelled panic, fear and vicious cycle of lawlessness and violence".
The CJI, who hails from Assam, said that NRC is neither a "new or a novel idea" as it found expression as early as in 1951 and the current exercise is an attempt to update the 1951 NRC.
"The NRC is not without contestations. Let me take this occasion to clarify. The NRC is not a new nor a novel idea. It founds expression as early as in the year 1951 and in particular context of Assam in the year 1985 when the Assam accord was signed. In fact, the current NRC is an attempt to update the 1951 NRC," said Justice Gogoi, who was addressing a gathering here during the inauguration of the book 'Post Colonial Assam (1947-2019)' authored by veteran journalist Mrinal Talukdar.
He lamented that "careless" and "irresponsible reporting by a few media outlets only worsened the situation."
"There was an urgent need to ascertain some degree of ascertaining the number of illegal immigrants which the current exercise envisages. Nothing more and nothing less. The entire exercise is nothing but manifestation of one of the most peaceful means by which stakeholders seek to remedy the wrong and omissions of that turbulence whose effects changed the course of the life of not only individuals but of communities and culture across the region," he said.
The CJI praised the citizens of Assam for displaying great magnanimity and large-heartedness in accepting various cut off dates for the purpose of preparation of the NRC.
The updated final NRC in Assam was released on August 31, this year excluding names of over 19 lakh applicants in the state.
A total of 3,30,27,661 people had applied to be included in the NRC. Of them, 3,11,21,004 have been included in the document and 19,06,657 excluded.
The names of 1.9 crore people were published as part draft NRC on the midnight of December 31, 2017.
The CJI said, "It needs to be told and brought on record that people who raised objections including these cut-off dates are playing with fire. At the crossroad, we need to keep in mind that our national discourse has witnessed the emergence of armchair commentators who are not only far removed from ground realities but also seek to present a highly distorted picture."
He said the emergence of social media and its tools have also fuelled the intent of such armchair commentators, "who thrive through their doublespeak language".
"They launch baseless and motivated tirades against democratic functioning and democratic institutions. Seeking to hurt them and bring down their due process. These commentators and their vile intentions do survive well in situations where facts are far removed from the citizenry and rumour mills flourish. Assam and its development agenda have been a victim of such armchair commentators," he said.
Justice Gogoi said that people must resist the urge of "finding wrongs and shortcomings everywhere" they look and the "constant desire to play to the gallery by demeaning the institutions and their efforts must be resolutely avoided and discouraged."
Regarding the NRC exercise, he said, "It is an occasion to put things in proper perspective. The NRC is not a document for the moment. 19 lakhs or 40 lakhs does not matter. It is a base document for the future. It is a document to which one can refer to determine future claims. This, in my comprehension, is the intrinsic value of the NRC."
The CJI said that the working of institutions is assessed especially by the media and particularly by social media.
Besides the CJI, Supreme Court judge Hrishikesh Roy was also present during the function along with 1975-batch IPS officer A B Mathur who was last year appointed by the Centre as an interlocutor to hold talks with United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) and other groups in North-East.
Justice Roy praised Talukdar for his efforts in writing the book and said several historical aspects about Assam have come to light through his work.
The apex court judge also quipped that he believes that if the CJI decides to write a book, it would be a "best seller".
Speaking on the occasion, Mathur noted that he is presently holding talks with three groups in Assam and one in Manipur and talks are progressing very satisfactorily.
He said that people of Northeast want peace and there is willingness that it is time for the development of the region.