On Monday, the Supreme Court was pleased to admit the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Assam Public Works (APW) alleging that the electoral roll in Assam has the names of about 41 lakh Bangladeshis, and therefore, a fresh electoral roll should be prepared in the state before the Assembly elections of 2011. The apex court also refused to give the Assam Government any more time to file its affidavit, since it had already given the time requested when the APW had first approached the court. The plea for additional time made by the state government was turned down because the issue was an important one. The Assam Public Works has made matters easier for the state government than they might have been. It has made it clear that those Bangladeshis who entered Assam before March 25, 1971 should be granted Indian citizenship so as to separate them from the lot that entered the state after the cut-off date.
In any case, the ball is now very much in the court of the state government, both in terms of its compulsion to file an affidavit in the Supreme Court as well as to make the necessary changes to the election schedule for 2011, should the Supreme Court give a verdict that makes changes to the electoral roll mandatory.
Shillong Times