Will not extend Jul 31 deadline for publication of final Assam NRC: SC

The Supreme Court Wednesday reiterated that it will not extend the July 31 deadline for publication of the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam and said the NRC work and Lok Sabha polls can go on simultaneously in the state.

The Centre informed the top court that 167 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) deployed in the state will not be diverted for poll duty.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice R F Nariman said requisite manpower and technology needed for publication of final NRC by July 31 will be provided.

"We will not extend the deadline for publication of final NRC on July 31, 2019. Lok Sabha polls and NRC work can go on simultaneously," the bench said after state NRC coordinator Prateek Hajela submitted that some of the officials engaged in the NRC exercise have been assigned poll duty.

Hajela also said he needs them back to join the NRC exercise post-poll in order to meet the deadline.

"Till elections in the state are over, I have to work .