Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind defends Assam Accord-1985 in SC

New Delhi [India], May 3 (ANI): Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, under the leadership of its national president Qari Syed Mohammed Usman Mansoorpuri, general secretary Maulana Syed Mahmood Asad Madani and Maulana Badruddin Ajmal (M.P.), president, Assam state Jamiat Ulema, has taken a strong stand to defend the Assam Accord -1985 in the Supreme Court for which it has engaged a team of renowned senior lawyers. As per the instruction of the apex court, the Jamiat has filed written submissions and produced all relevant documents before it earlier on May 1.Addressing a press conference yesterday at the Jamait head Office at ITO, leaders of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and Assam state Jamait said, “It is to be noted here that an agitation was started in the year 1978-79 mainly led by All Assam Student Union (AASU) and All Assam Gana Sangaram Parishad (AAGSP), initially against the outsiders (Hindi speaking people). Then it became anti-foreigners and termed into anti-Bangladeshi, then anti-Muslims, being guided by communal forces. Thousands of people were killed, houses were burnt, genocide at Nellie and Chaulkua took place. Lakhs of people were displaced and made homeless.” They further said that ultimately, a consensus agreement was executed on August 15, 1985, between the agitating organizations and the Central Government, under the Prime Ministership of late Rajiv Gandhi and the Government of Assam, which is known as Assam Accord. “It was agreed that those who came and settled in Assam till March 25, 1971will be treated as Indian citizens. Accordingly, the Citizenship Act, 1955 was amended by the Parliament and section 6-A was inserted in to the Act,” they added.They also said, some vested interested groups had filed cases in the apex court, being WP(C) No. 274/2009 and WP(C) No. 562/2012, claiming that instead of that cutoff date i.e. 25/3/1971, the base year should be 1951, to decide the citizenship of people in Assam. It also challenged the validity of Assam Accord-1985, claiming it as un-constitutional and claimed National Register of Citizens (NRC) to be updated with 1951 on the base year. “As the issue was related to lakhs of people, rather one-third population of Assam, the Assam unit of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, headed by Maulana Badruddin Ajmal under the guidance of National president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind Maulana Syed Mohammed Usman Mansoorpuri and general secretary Maulana Syed Mahmood Asad Madani, filed the petition against these cases by vested interested organizations in the apex court to defend the Assam Accord and Section 6-A of the Citizenship Act-1955," they added.They said, meanwhile, All Assam Minority Students Union (AAMSU) and Citizens Rights Preservation Committee (CRPC) also filed the petition in the Supreme Court to defend Assam Accord-1985. “There are only three defendants in this case-- Assam State Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (headed by Maulana Badruddin Ajmal), AAMSU, CRPC are defendants in WP(c) No. 274/2009 and WP(c) No. 562/2012 . They are defending Assam Accord since 2009,” they said.The cases were earlier presented before Division Bench of Supreme Court, which raised 13 questions on Assam Accord and asked defending parties to file answers in the Court. Later, the cases were shifted to Constitution Bench of Supreme Court comprising of five judges. The Constitution Bench directed all the parties to submit written submission and connected documents on or before May 1.The Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind has submitted answers of those 13 questions and produced all relevant documents before the apex court on May 1. The final hearings of the connected cases have been fixed on and from May 8 before a Constitution Bench, comprising of five judges. It should be mentioned here that the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind is pursuing various cases in different courts, defending the Assam Accord-1985 and fighting for justice to lakhs of Indian citizens of Assam since 2009, as similar other cases are also filed in the Gauhati High Court by three vested interested groups. Assam has been facing turmoil during the last 38 years on the issue of wild allegations of large scale infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals, which is more of a myth than a reality. (ANI)