Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has clarified that while there was a “possibility” that the National Register for Citizens (NRC) “may take place”, it would only be through a due legal process, with rules for it being defined “through adequate consultation”. There is a possibility that it (NRC) may happen, but there is a legal process attached to it; NRC preparation has a distinct legal process to be initiated, with defining of rules with adequate consultations. Excerpts from the interviewIt’s been suggested that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) goes against Article 14 of the Constitution and that there are enough provisions in the unamended Citizenship Act to provide citizenship to persecuted minorities. This you get from the Citizenship Act of 1955 and then there is a citizenship registration and issue of National I-card rule of 2003. There is a possibility that it may happen, but there is a legal process attached to it, NRC preparation has a distinct legal process to be initiated, with defining of rules with adequate consultations.

Source: The Hindu December 29, 2019 07:48 UTC