"'SECTION 6A OF CITIZENSHIP ACT DOES NOT INFRINGE CULTURAL RIGHTS UNDER CONSTITUTION'"

As a result, the provision fixes March 25, 1971, as the cut-off date for granting citizenship to migrants, particularly those from Bangladesh, residing in Assam.

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While upholding the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud on Thursday held that mere presence of different ethnic groups in a state was not sufficient to infringe the rights guaranteed in the Constitution for the conservation of one's culture.

The CJI referred to Article 29(1) of the Constitution which states, "Any section of citizens residing in the territory of India or any part thereof and having a distinct language, script, or culture of their own shall have the right to conserve the same." Writing for himself, the CJI, who concurred with the majority judgment, rejected the claim of the petitioners that Section 6A was violative of Article 29 as it permitted migrants from Bangladesh having