Mere Presence Of Different Ethnic Groups In A State Doesn't Violate Cultural Rights Of Local Population: Supreme Court In Assam Accord Case

The Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955, which recognizes the Assam Accord. The Court rejected the argument that granting citizenship to migrants from Bangladesh infringes the cultural and linguistic rights of Assamese people under Article 29 of the Constitution. The judgment, authored by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, stated that the mere presence of different ethnic groups in a state does not violate the rights of the local population to conserve their culture and language. Section 6A allows migrants from Bangladesh who entered Assam before January 1, 1966, to be deemed Indian citizens and those who entered between January 1, 1966, and March 25, 1971, to seek Indian citizenship based on certain criteria. The Court emphasized that the right to conserve culture under Article 29(1) means taking positive steps to protect it, not preventing the presence of other ethnic groups.