A balancing act

The Supreme Court's judgment upholding the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act is a historic moment for the state of Assam.

The ruling is in sync with the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985, which established a framework to address the contentious issue of immigration in the state. All the major political parties welcomed the verdict.

Section 6A was inserted into the Citizenship Act as a special provision following the Assam Accord. Signed after a six-year-long anti-foreigner movement, the Accord sought to bring peace to Assam, which had seen violent agitation over unchecked immigration from Bangladesh. The Assam Accord stipulated March 25, 1971, as the cut-off date for granting citizenship to migrants. This aligned with the Bangladesh Liberation War and the exodus of refugees into India. The Supreme Court's ruling on October 17, 2024 has endorsed this cut-off date. The majority verdict, delivered by a Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, maintained that granting citizenship to those who entered Assam between January 1, 1966, and March 25, 1971, was a reasonable and justifiable solution to a complex issue.