Guwahati: The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), a key signatory of the 1985 Assam Accord, expressed satisfaction with the Supreme Court’s ruling on Thursday, which upheld the cut-off date for granting citizenship under the historic pact.
AASU hailed the decision as a validation of the agreement, describing it as a victory for the people of Assam who have supported the Accord for nearly 40 years.
The Supreme Court, in a majority judgement, upheld the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, which grants Indian citizenship to immigrants who arrived in Assam between January 1, 1966, and March 25, 1971.
The five-judge Constitution Bench, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, recognized the Assam Accord as a political solution to the issue of illegal migration.
In its statement, AASU declared, “This verdict re-established the rationality of the Assam movement and the Assam Accord. We pay tribute to the martyrs on this historic occasion. We demand again that every clause of the Assam Accord be fully implemented.”
The Assam Accord, signed in 1985 after a six-year-long anti-foreigner movement, included a key provision stipulating that individuals who entered Assam on or after March 25, 1971, would be identified, removed from electoral rolls, and deported.
AASU emphasized that the Supreme Court’s ruling was not only a victory for them but also for other signatories and supporters of the Accord, including the All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad.
The organisation reiterated its commitment to ensuring the full implementation of every clause of the Accord, which remains central to Assam’s efforts to manage the impact of illegal immigration.
The ruling confirmed that the cut-off date of March 25, 1971, for entry into Assam and the granting of citizenship was appropriate. Section 6A was introduced into the Citizenship Act in 1985 to specifically address the status of individuals under the Assam Accord.
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