Advocate Sadhna Ramachandran, who was appointed an interlocutor along with senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, placed the report before a bench of justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph.

The bench said it would peruse the report and the matter would be heard on February 26.

It made it clear that the report of interlocutors will not be shared with the petitioners and counsels representing the Centre and Delhi Police at this stage.

At the outset, Ramachandran told the court that she is grateful for the opportunity given to her and the interlocutors had a learning experience which was positive also.

“Let us examine it. We will hear the matter day after tomorrow,” the bench said.

When the counsel for one of the petitioners said the report be shared with them also, the bench said, “We are here. Everyone is here. Let us have the benefit of the report first. The copy of the report is for the court only.”

Former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah had earlier told the top court that the protest was peaceful and inconvenience being caused to commuters was due to barricades “unnecessarily” put by police on roads far away from the site.

The same stand has been taken by social activist Syed Bahadur Abbas Naqvi and Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad in their joint affidavit filed in the apex court in the matter. Habibullah, Azad and Naqvi have jointly filed an intervention application in the apex court which is seized of the matter.

The apex court had earlier said that though people have a fundamental right to protest “peacefully and lawfully”, it was troubled by the blocking of a public road at Shaheen Bagh as it might lead to a “chaotic situation”.

Naqvi and Azad, in their joint affidavit, have alleged that “the present ruling dispensation, at the behest of its political masters, had devised a strategy of extinguishing these protests by falsely attributing violence and acts of vandalism to peaceful protestors”.

Habibullah, in his affidavit, has also stated that the protestors have asked him to convey to the apex court that their dissent “was out of desperation and compulsion” as they see the CAA, National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) as a “death knell” for their and future generations’ survival and existence.

Restrictions have been imposed on the Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch and the Okhla underpass, which were closed on December 15 last year due to protests against CAA and NRC.

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Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, said that resolutions against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act have been passed in States like Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal as they are ruled by one party, unlike Maharashtra.

“States like Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal have passed resolutions against Citizenship (Amendment) Act. They are ruled by one party, unlike Maharashtra. Our Chief Minister (Uddhav Thackeray) said there should be no problem for anyone in the State due to CAA and NRC. We are of this opinion,” Mr Pawar said

The West Bengal Assembly had on Monday passed a resolution against the Citizenship Act which was moved by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government.

Meanwhile , former chief minister and now pwd minister Ashok Chavan has said that Congress president Sonia Gandhi had sought a written undertaking from the Shiv Sena that the new government in Maharashtra would work within the ambit of the Constitution.

Sonia Gandhi had given clear guidelines that the state government must work within the frame of Constitution, the state PWD minister said at a meeting in Nanded.

“She told us that first, we should get this in writing (from Sena) that the government should work within the ambit of the Constitution and shouldn’t violate the Constitution preamble. We were told to convey this to Uddhav Thackeray,” Ashok Chavan said.

Uddhav Thackeray was sworn in CM in November last year, heading an alliance government with the Congress and NCP, after results of the October 21 Assembly elections failed to throw up a clear winner.

Ashok Chavan said Gandhi had also told state Congress leaders that if the government doesn’t function as expected, the party should quit it. “We conveyed the same to Uddhav Thackeray.

He agreed and we went to form the government,” Ashok Chavan said. Responding to Ashok Chavan’s remarks, former CM Devendra Fadnavis said Shiv Sena should clarify about the ”deals” done before the Maha Vikas Aghadi government was formed.

Meanwhile JNU alumnus Omar Khalid on Monday asked the Shiv Sena a direct question on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Civil Register (NRC). Omar said, ‘We are seeing a change in the attitude of Shiv Sena. If this change is real, it needs to be implemented. We have declared Satyagraha. She has to clear whether she joins us or stays apart. He was addressing a gathering in Mumbai

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Radhika Vemula, Rohith’s mother, who was accompanied by the “dadis” and former JNU student Umar Khalid unfurled the national flag. They sang the national anthem along with thousands of people, including women and children who had gathered at Shaheen Bagh to celebrate the occasion.

Vadgam Assembly Constituency (Gujarat) MLA Jignesh Mevani was also present.

The protesters, who are opposing the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and a proposed pan-India National Register of Citizens (NRC), have been sitting on protest at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh for over a month.

The protesters said they will continue their agitation until the government decides to rollback the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and National Register of Citizens.

From children to women, many held the national flag and sang patriotic songs to celebrate the spirit of oneness, equality and secularism. They chanted the “CAA se Azaadi, NRC se Azaadi, BJP se Azaadi (freedom from CAA, NRC and BJP)” while raising other slogans against the CAA and the NRC.

“We do not want a prime minister who cannot listen to our grievance and address our concerns. Why has the prime minister or any of his representatives not addressed us yet? Why didn’t he visit us and explain the CAA and NRC?,” asked 75-year-old Sarwari, one of the ”dadis”, who has been part of the protest for over a month now.

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Amit Shah said: “Let me say this here and now, this law will not be withdrawn, no matter who protests… We are not scared of opposition, we were born in it.”

Amit Shah accused the Congress and the Samajwadi Party of spreading lies about the law. “Mamata didi, Akhilesh-ji, Mayawati-ji, I dare you to a debate on the Citizenship Act anywhere in the country… I dare you to show me any clause in the bill that talks about taking away any one’s citizenship,” he said.

The BJP claims that the protests against the CAA are fallout of misinformation spread by the opposition. Mr Shah also accused the Congress of making such a law necessary – first through partition and then through inaction because of votebank politics.

“For 10 years the UPA government was there, and from Pakistan, Aalia, Malia, Jamalia used to come here and carry out terror attacks. Manmohan Singh or mauni baba did not say a word against it. It is because of your people from Uttar Pradesh that Modi-ji got a two-thirds majority government,” he said.

Uttar Pradesh has seen some of the most violent protests over the citizenship law – in the first weeks after the law was passed in parliament, 20 people from the state had died in clashes with the police. The police have denied opening fire, though some of the protesters were seen to have bullet injuries.

Meanwhile The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM) has announced that it will conduct door-to-door campaigns across India to explain how the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the National Population Register (NPR), and the Citizenship Amendment Act are connected.

Aside from extending full support to the ongoing anti-government agitations and actively participating in all protests against the CAA, NRC and NPR, the leftist party has also decided to embark on a mission to make sure those who have rejected the NRC and CAA, do not answer questions related to NPR either.

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He made the remarks on the floor of the state assembly while thanking the House members for unanimously approving a constitutional amendment for extending quotas to SCs and STs by another 10 years.

Referring to an impassioned speech made by Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav CM replied from where did this talk of NRC sprung up?

The country is witnessing huge turmoil on these issues (CAA, NRC and NPR), Kumar said, adding that we should keep in mind that NRC was an exercise confined to Assam as part of the accord signed by the Rajiv Gandhi government.

A natiowide NRC would be needless (koi zarurat nahin hai) and has no justification (koi auchitya nahin hai). We do not think any such thing is going to take place. I think the prime minister, too, has spoken clearly on this, he said

Meanwhile the opposition parties will meet today to discuss the current political situation and chart out their strategy.

The meeting, which was expected to be a show of strength for the Opposition, however will not be attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) too has decided to stay away, presumably in face of Delhi elections next month where it is pitted against the BJP and the Congress.

Miffed with the Congress and the Left over violence allegedly perpetrated by them in the state during the January 8 Bharat Bandh, Banerjee had decided to skip the meeting called by the president of the grand old party, Sonia Gandhi.

The 24-hour nationwide strike by central trade unions in West Bengal on Wednesday was marked by incidents of violence and arson, blocking of railway tracks and roads by protesters trying to enforce the shutdown.

Banerjee said “double standards” of the Left Front and Congress will not be tolerated.

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PM Modi said The Muslims of India don’t need to worry at all. The CAB and the NRC will not apply to the Muslims of the country,” PM Modi said at a mega rally at Ramlila Maidan, meant to launch the BJP’s campaign for the assembly elections in Delhi.

“I want to tell the 130 crore citizens of India that since my government has come to power, since 2014, there has been no discussion on NRC anywhere. Only after the Supreme Court’s order, this exercise was done for Assam,”

“Lies are being spread. There are leaders who told in TV interviews that NRC across India will involve such heavy expenses but I want to say why you are you wasting your mental energy in something that is not even there he added.

Launching a scathing attack on opposition parties like the Congress, AAP, TMC and the Left over their protests against the law, he said India had an opportunity to expose Pakistan over its discrimination against minorities but it was lost due to their politics.

Modi devoted a considerable part of his nearly 100-minute speech, which he started with the slogan of ‘vividhta me ekta, Bharat ki visheshta’ (Unity in diversity is India’s speciality) , to allay concerns of Muslims and said they should look at his “track record” and not listen to “tape record” of his rivals.

He cited his development schemes like giving LPG cylinders to the poor and health insurance scheme to assert that it has never mattered to his government whether people go to temple or mosque.

“The citizenship law or the NRC have nothing to do with Indian Muslims. They have nothing to worry,” he said, accusing the Congress, its allies and “urban naxals” of spreading the rumour that Muslims will be sent to detention centres.

The citizenship law, he added, has in fact nothing to do Indian citizens.

In a clear justification of having a nationwide National Register of Citizens, he said infiltrators never “reveal” themselves unlike refugees who never “hide” their identities.

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Speaking at Times Network India Economic Conclave 2019 in Mumbai on Tuesday, Shah said no Indian citizen needs to fear from the Citizenship Act or NRC. “An exercise like NRC cannot be done in secrecy. We have not decided yet and these decisions cannot be taken by me alone. They need Cabinet approvals,” the minister said.

Shah said no minority community would be adversely affected by the implementation of the new law. The Citizenship Act and NRC are subjects under the Union list and states would have to add those, he said.

Amid demands by opposition parties for the withdrawal of the law, Shah said: “There is no going back on the Citizenship Act; the government is firm like rock on its implementation.” The home minister said no action was being taken against students protesting against the Act.

However, action is being taken against those engaging in vandalism and arson during protests, he added. He said the opposition was engaged in a false campaign over the Citizenship Act.

There are more than 400 universities in the country but protests are being witnessed only at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Lucknow University, Jamia Millia and Aligarh Muslim University, he said. “There is nothing anti-minority in the Act; the law only seeks to offer Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan,” he added.

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The court has asked the government to let know the transfer within seven days. At the hearing, Attorney General KK Venugopal asked Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi if there was a reason for the transfer, to which the CJI responded: “is there a transfer without a reason?”. 

Mr Hajela, 48, a 1995 batch IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, was tasked with supervising the massive exercise of revising the citizen’s list in Assam, a complex project that has navigated controversies related to communal and linguistic divides.

He was seen as an able technocrat who could best tackle the job. He led a team of over 50,000 officials. An IIT alumnus, he faced criticism from political parties as well as civil society organisations over alleged errors in the citizen’s list.

The strongest critics included leaders of the ruling BJP, who alleged that many Hindus, who are genuine citizens, are missing in the revised list. Last month, a Muslim organisation filed a case against Mr Hajela, accusing him of excluding “genuine Indian citizens” from the NRC and acting out of bias.

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The purpose of releasing the NRC list is to find whether a person residing in Assam is actually an Indian or a foreigner. 

Here is how you can check your name in last Assam NRC list

Security was tightened across the state ahead of the publication of the NRC list. As a precautionary measure, fifty-one companies of the Central Armed Paramilitary Force (CAPF) had been deployed in various parts of the state. Section 144 of CrPC has been clamped in Dispur, where the state Secretariat and Assembly complexes are located. Prohibitory orders have been clamped in vulnerable areas like Bhangagarh, Basistha, Hatigaon, Sonapur and Khetri. Prohibitory orders are already in place in Dispur since August 28 and will stay until further notice.

The publication of the last NRC list – a sensitive political issue – is likely to stir up a huge gamut of reactions involving many of the stakeholders. Barring AASU, all major political parties, including Congress and AIUDF, have expressed fear that names of many genuine Indian citizens might be left out while those of the illegal foreigners may be included.

Keeping in view the far-reaching implications of the move, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has called upon the people of the state to keep up peace and tranquillity.

Ahead of the publication of the NRC list, the Ministry of Home Affairs has also urged people not to believe in rumours.

A total of 3,11,21,004 persons found eligible for inclusion in last NRC leaving out 19,06,657 persons including those who did not send their claims. Those not satisfied with the outcome can file an appeal before Foreigners Tribunals, says Prateek Hajela, State Coordinator, NRC.

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The centre has said people whose names don’t come in the last NRC cannot be declared foreigners till all legal options are exhausted. Every person left out of the NRC can appeal to the Foreigners Tribunal, and the time limit to file the appeal has been extended from 60 to 120 days.

The Home Ministry said at least 1,000 tribunals will be set up in phases to hear disputed cases; 100 tribunals are open presently and 200 more will be opened in the first week of September. If one loses the case in the tribunal, one can approach the high court and then the Supreme Court. No one will be put in detention centres until all legal options are exhausted, the government has said.

Security has been tightened in the north-eastern state bordering Bangladesh, and any gathering of more than four people at several public places are banned, especially at sensitive areas that have seen violence in the  past, including main city Guwahati. The centre has sent 20,000 more paramilitary forces to Assam.

The Assam Police tweeted the government has “ensured adequate safeguards for people whose name may not come in the last NRC”. “Don’t believe rumours, as some elements are trying to create confusion in society. Safety of citizens is our top priority,” it said.

“They (whose names don’t appear in NRC) will be allowed to present their case before the Foreigners Tribunal. The state government has said those left out of the NRC will not be detained under any circumstances until the tribunal declares them foreigners,” said the Home Ministry officer, who asked not to be named.

Some BJP leaders have raised concerns over many of Bengali Hindus being left out of the NRC. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, after meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah last week, said the centre may consider bringing in a law to remove foreigners who could have entered the list and add genuine citizens who could have been left out.

Sources said the BJP may be worried over exclusion of many of Hindus. It is estimated that a majority of Assam’s 18 per cent Bengali Hindu vote bank supports the BJP. In the national election this year, the BJP won nine out of 14 seats in Assam – a stellar performance due to consolidation of tribals, Assamese Hindus and Bengali Hindus.

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