SC notice for Centre, EC on immigrant plea

The Supreme Court today issued notices to the Union of India and the Election Commission on a public interest litigation filed by Image India Foundation contending that the massive influx of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh into Assam and West Bengal was adversely affecting the demographic profile of the two states.

The petitioners averred that this was leading to illegal enrollment in electoral rolls and endangering national security apart from being a drain on natural resources. Misconceived notions of secularism should not be allowed to come in the way of acting on the matter. Assamese were being reduced to a minority in their own state, their cultural survival endangered, the petitioner said.