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Supreme Court Upholds Section 6A, Grants Citizenship to Assam Immigrants

Oct 17, 2024, 05:30 AM

In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court of India upheld the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955, in a 4:1 majority verdict. The five-judge Constitution Bench, headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and including Justices Surya Kant, M.M. Sundresh, Manoj Misra, and J.B. Pardiwala, delivered the judgment. Section 6A, inserted into the Citizenship Act in 1985 via an amendment implementing the Assam Accord, grants Indian citizenship to immigrants who entered Assam before January 1, 1966. The provision was challenged on grounds that Assam was singled out for implementing Section 6A. Chief Justice Chandrachud termed the enactment a political solution to the unique problem of an influx of migrants in Assam. The majority held that the provision implements the Assam Accord. Justice Pardiwala dissented, declaring Section 6A unconstitutional.