What does Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 say?

About Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955:

• Section 6A was a special provision inserted into the 1955 Act in furtherance of a Memorandum of Settlement called the ‘Assam Accord’ signed on August 15, 1985.
• The accord was a tripartite agreement between the Centre, the Assam government and the All Assam Students Union, and came after years of protest against perceived demographic change and outsiders in the state.
• It created a special provision for Assam by which persons who entered between January 1, 1966, and March 25, 1971, and who are residing in the state, upon being detected as foreigners, will be allowed to register
• Upon registration, such a person will have the same rights and obligations as a citizen of India, but will not be entitled to be included in any electoral roll for a period of 10 years.
• Foreigners who had entered Assam before January 1, 1966, and been “ordinarily resident” in the State, would have all the rights and obligations of Indian citizens including the right to vote. 

 

---

Q1) What are Electoral Rolls?

An electoral roll is a checklist issued by the Election Commission of India. The list includes all the registered names of the voters of the respective region.

Source: Constitution Bench to take up Section 6A of Citizenship Act for preliminary determination