The NPR (National Population Register) and CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019) have been challenged in the Supreme Court yesterday (January 13, 2020). The Minority Front has filed a petition in the Apex Court stating that the NPR is a very costly affair and our economy is not well-equipped to handle these costs.

Since the Government has clearly specified that the NRC (National Register of Citizens) is not being prepared or implemented, there is no necessity to prepare the Population Register which requires incurring an expense of Rs. 3941.35 crores on the public exchequer, particularly when the nation is experiencing an unprecedented economic slowdown. 

NPR cannot be seen in isolation, but will have to be seen chronologically with the Government’s notification to prepare the NPR followed by an eventual nationwide NRC. It was also submitted by the petitioners that the CAA-NPR-NRC trinity has created huge unrest in the country, mainly among the poor and marginalized sections of the country.

Author: Swetalana Rout