# NRC Appeals on Hold: Centre Tells Supreme Court Over 19 Lakh Excluded Await Official Rejection Slips > The Centre informed the Supreme Court that rejection slips for roughly 19 lakh people left out of Assam's NRC remain stalled because the final register is not yet formally notified. **Type:** article · **Category:** Assam · **Published:** 2026-10-03 · **Source:** TrendKia **Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/assam/assam-nrc-bahara-hue-19-lakha-logon-ko-rijekshana-slipa-na-milane-para-supreme-court-men-centre-ne-di-saphai-42352 · **Language:** English **Tags:** Assam NRC, Supreme Court, Registrar General of India, Citizenship Register, Foreigners Tribunal, Rejection Slips Legal remedies for around 19 lakh residents left out of the National Register of Citizens in Assam remain completely frozen. The central government has informed the Supreme Court that formal notification of the final citizenship roster has not taken place, which in turn has prevented authorities from distributing the rejection slips necessary to mount legal appeals. ## Database Security Stalls Transfer to Registrar General An affidavit submitted to the top court on behalf of the Registrar General of India outlines the technical and administrative bottlenecks behind this long delay. According to the filing, the state NRC coordinator is still putting together a comprehensive security framework to preserve the massive NRC records safely. Because these protective protocols remain incomplete, the database has not been handed over to the RGI. The RGI can only publish the formal notification once the complete digital archives are officially delivered. ## Over 1.9 Million People Stuck Without Formal Proof When the final NRC roster came out in August 2019, it verified 3.11 crore applicants as valid citizens while omitting 19.07 lakh people from the documentation. The apex court had previously directed the state coordinator to create an effective channel for issuing formal exclusion memos to those left out, allowing them to present their grievances before Foreigners Tribunals. In October 2020, the coordinator told the RGI that delivering these slips is tied directly to the formal notification of the final register, effectively blocking excluded applicants from taking their cases forward. ## Court Extends Time for State Response The bench was addressing petitions filed by groups such as the All Assam Minority Students Union, Assam State Jamiat Ulama, and Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind alongside other stakeholders. The applicants urged the judiciary to direct the immediate handover of rejection slips to excluded individuals and the distribution of official NRC identity cards to approved citizens. After the Assam government requested more time to compile its response, the Supreme Court scheduled the next hearing for November 6. ## What this means for you The delay in issuing rejection slips effectively suspends the appeals process for over 19 lakh people excluded from the NRC. - **In Assam:** The 19.07 lakh excluded individuals cannot move Foreigners Tribunals without official rejection slips. This leaves affected families in persistent administrative uncertainty until formal documentation begins. - **Across India:** The prolonged absence of a gazetted notification highlights procedural and data-security benchmarks governing massive public registries. It demonstrates the technical hurdles involved before any large-scale documentation drive can reach final legal closure. - **For Included Citizens:** The 3.11 crore individuals who made the cut must wait longer for their physical NRC identification cards. Definitive proof of identity cards can only follow the formal publication of the gazette notification. - **Next Legal Milestone:** The adjournment to November 6 means relief or procedural directions from the apex court will only arrive after the Assam government files its affidavit. Affected parties and petitioner groups will have to wait for that hearing for subsequent steps. ## Why this happened Technical bottlenecks and pending administrative prerequisites have kept the NRC implementation stuck despite the list coming out years ago. - **Incomplete Data Preservation Mechanism:** The state NRC coordinator has not finalized the cybersecurity framework needed to safeguard the NRC database. Without this safeguard, the data cannot be handed over to the Registrar General of India. - **Absence of Formal Notification:** Statutory rules require the RGI to notify the final NRC only after taking custody of the verified data. Until that notification is gazetted, authorities lack the mandate to issue rejection slips. - **Procedural Stand Taken in 2020:** The state coordinator clarified back in October 2020 that rejection slips could not precede the gazetted notification. This stance effectively tied the distribution of documents to the handover of the digital registry. - **State Government Extension Request:** The state government sought additional time from the bench to file its detailed reply. Consequently, the Supreme Court pushed the matter to November for further consideration. ## Questions & Answers ### 1. How many applicants were excluded from the Assam NRC? Around 19.07 lakh people were excluded from the final list published in August 2019, while 3.11 crore people were included. ### 2. Why have rejection slips not been distributed yet? The data security system is incomplete, preventing the transfer of records to the RGI and stalling the formal notification of the NRC. ### 3. What is the legal purpose of an NRC rejection slip? It serves as the formal document that allows excluded applicants to challenge their omission before Foreigners Tribunals. ### 4. Which organizations approached the Supreme Court? Petitions were filed by the All Assam Minority Students Union, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Assam State Jamiat Ulama, and other parties. ### 5. When will the Supreme Court take up the case next? The apex court has adjourned the matter to November 6 after the Assam government sought additional time to submit its response. --- _TrendKia — Har trend, sabse pehle.. Machine-readable view; canonical HTML at the URL above._