The issuance of rejection slips for 1.9 million people excluded from Assam's NRC remains stalled. The Central government informed the Supreme Court that the process is blocked until a formal data security regime is implemented and the final list is notified. This administrative delay prevents affected individuals from filing appeals in Foreigners Tribunals.
The issuance of rejection slips for the 1.9 million people excluded from the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam remains on hold. In a recent update to the Supreme Court, the Central government confirmed that the administrative process is stalled because the final list has not yet been formally notified. The Registrar General of India (RGI) requires the comprehensive applicant database from the state NRC coordinator to issue this notification, a step that is currently blocked by technical requirements.
The primary hurdle is the establishment of a robust data security regime. The state NRC coordinator is working to implement a framework to protect the sensitive personal information of millions of applicants before transferring the database to the RGI. Until this system is fully operational and the data is formally handed over, the RGI cannot proceed with the notification. This notification is the necessary legal document that allows those omitted from the final list to approach Foreigners Tribunals to appeal their citizenship status.
This delay creates a state of administrative limbo. Without the rejection slips, individuals excluded from the list remain unable to initiate the formal appeals process in court. The Supreme Court, which has been overseeing this long-running exercise, has deferred the next hearing to November 6, 2026, granting the state government more time to finalize the security framework and present a clear roadmap for resolving the backlog.
The complexity of the NRC exercise has been a subject of scrutiny for years. Beyond the current procedural delay, the project has faced significant challenges involving data management, software implementation, and financial governance. Previous audits by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had flagged concerns regarding vendor payments and the lack of secure systems during earlier phases of the project. As the government works to balance data privacy with administrative efficiency, the upcoming court hearing will be the next major monitorable to assess when the legal appeals process might finally commence for the affected individuals.