SHILLONG: Former deputy Chief Minister and UDP working president Bindo M Lanong on Sunday said the issue of granting citizenship to Bangladeshis who had settled in Meghalaya prior to 1971 should be left to the interpretation of the Supreme Court.
Justice SR Sen of the High Court of Meghalaya in an order on May 15 had said that Bangladeshi nationals who have made Meghalaya their home prior to March 24, 1971, will now be considered as Indians and the order, while referring to the petition of some ‘refugees’ in Amjong in Ri Bhoi district, said they can also be enrolled in the voters’ list in Meghalaya.
However, Lanong, who is a lawyer, said the Government should appeal before the Supreme Court as it is the rightful authority to deal with such matters.
“The matter is dealt under the Citizenship Act of 1955 of Government of India and under the Act, the Centre had prepared the Citizenship Rule of 1956,” Lanong said.
In this context, Lanong reminded that in the famous case of Chakma refugees in Arunachal Pradesh who were driven away by the students’ body there, the Supreme Court in 1996 had viewed that the only authority to determine who is the citizen of India as per the clause 8 of Citizens Rule of 1956, is the Central Government and also the Collector as far as registration of names is concerned.
Lanong said that though there was hue and cry about the Chakma issue, the Supreme Court did not take any decision and instead left it to the Centre and the Collector.