A second chance for 27 Assam residents declared foreigners

The Supreme Court ordered a second chance for 27 Assam residents declared foreigners through ex-parte orders by Foreigners Tribunals.

Many cited illness, poverty, illiteracy, or confusion about the legal process as reasons for not appearing before the tribunal.

Noor Jahan and Abdul Jebbar spent years in detention after being declared foreigners; their father's name appeared in the 1951 NRC.

The couple was released in 2020 after the Supreme Court ordered release of long-term detainees on conditional bail during Covid-19.

Affected individuals now have an opportunity to present evidence of Indian citizenship before the tribunals.