Supreme Court Ruling on Citizenship in Assam

The recent Supreme Court judgment on Section 6A of the Citizenship Act reaffirms March 24, 1971, as the cutoff date for determining citizenship in Assam, a decision that maintains the status quo. This ruling provides significant relief to many migrants, particularly both Hindu and Muslim refugees who arrived in Assam before the cutoff, as it protects their citizenship status. The judgment underscores longstanding anxieties among local Assamese populations regarding migration and its potential threats to cultural identity, a concern that fueled the 1979 Assam movement aimed at addressing these issues. However, it raises further complications, particularly with the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which allows non-Muslim migrants to apply for citizenship until 2014, creating a perceived contradiction in the treatment of different migrant groups.