The Assam government has moved the Supreme Court, pleading that a 20 per cent sample re-verification of the draft NRC published on July 30 last year be conducted in those districts bordering Bangladesh where high incidence of illegal migration has been reported.

The application is yet to be listed for a formal hearing. In a recent application moved before the top court in the wake of the final NRC being readied by July 31, the Assam government, through its home secretary Ashutosh Agnihotri, also pleaded that such an exercise was essential in view of allegations of bribery playing a key role in the inclusion of several names despite such persons being declared as illegal foreigners by designated tribunals.

Justifying the need for sample re-verification, the state pointed out that on August 28, the apex court bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice R.F. Nariman had said: “…We are of the view that the court should consider the necessity of carrying out the sample re-verification of at least 10 per cent of the names included in the final draft NRC, if required by a team of personnel of NRC Seva Kendra from neighbouring district…”

The state said although the apex court did not pass any subsequent orders for re-verification, it was necessary that such a sample re-verification be done to weed out illegal migrants.