English: Reading Comprehension Set 45

Directions(1-10): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Union government whether it is giving the over 40 lakh people, excluded from the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, a “second chance” to gain citizenship by allowing them to produce fresh documents to prove their Indian legacy.

The court was referring to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) proposed by the government, which allows a claimant for Indian citizenship to “change his legacy” by submitting additional documents at the ‘claims and objections’ stage. The court asked whether this would amount to “re-doing the claims” of those left out from the draft NRC published on July 30.

A Bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Rohinton Nariman on Tuesday said allowing a claimant to change his legacy would amount to “tinkering with the family tree” and re-doing the verification process.

“You see, a claimant submits documents to prove his legacy from his father. A family tree is drawn, which includes the claimant’s siblings, etc. The authorities verify his claim with each one of the member in the family tree before deciding his claim [for citizenship]. Now, your SOP says that a person can submit fresh documents claiming to prove his legacy from his grandfather. Now, the family tree has to be recreated. Everything has to be re-verified. This amounts to redoing the entire exercise. Why?”, Justice Gogoi asked Attorney General K.K. Venugopal.

Besides, the Bench pointed out, the government, in the beginning, had specified that documents on legacy would be allowed to be filed only once. Now, it has changed tack to permit additional documents to be filed. “Are you not contradicting yourself here?” Justice Gogoi asked Mr. Venugopal.

The court directed Assam State NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela to file a report on the ramifications of the government's proposal to submit fresh documents. Mr. Hajela has to file his report before September 5, the next date of hearing.

Meanwhile, the court deferred the receipt of claims and objections to a later date. This stage was supposed to start within the next days, on August 30, and would have continued till October 28.

“Allowing a person to suddenly pull out an additional document, that too at the 'claims and objections' stage, will upset the apple cart,” Justice Nariman observed.

Mr. Venugopal countered that the government is giving “another chance to people who risk losing all their rights”.

To this, Justice Nariman agreed that the court was dealing with “human problems of a huge magnitude”.

“Consequences are so severe that should they be given one more chance. Suppose a claimant has misfired once but can deliver in the next. Why should such a person not be given another chance?” Justice Nariman asked Mr. Hajela, stakeholders and petitioners in the litigation.

To this, Mr. Hajela said reopening of family trees would risk the possibility of “trading of legacies or meeting of minds”. "Giving a second chance would only open trading in legacies. There may be people who are willing to sell the legacies to others,” he said.

The Supreme Court further asked Mr. Hajela to submit a report with a time-frame to carry out the sample re-verification of at least 10 per cent of the names included in the final draft NRC. This is after Mr. Hajela placed before the Bench a district-wise data of the percentage of the population who have been excluded from the final draft NRC.

1. Which among the following is true regarding the new move of the Government regarding the National Register of Citizens in Assam?
   The government wants to do away with the whole process of registering citizens under this scheme since it is not possible to do so.
   The government wants the state government to cooperate with it and give relevant data without fail.
   The government is of the view that the state government is collecting data on the basis of proposition and not verified truth.
   The government is giving another opportunity to people who could not submit the legacy document in the first round.
   None of the above
   Option D
   Refer to, “The court was referring to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) proposed by the government, which allows a claimant for Indian citizenship to “change his legacy” by submitting additional documents at the ‘claims and objections’ stage.”
   
   
    



2. Which among the following is true regarding the view of the Supreme Court regarding the Standard Operating Procedure announced by the government?
   The Supreme Court is very elated that the government is giving more than one chance to the citizens who were left out in the original draft.
   The Supreme Court is of the opinion that there should not be anyone left after the whole exercise is over.
   The Supreme Court wants the High Court in the state to take stock of the situation and issue necessary directives.
   The Supreme Court has vehemently questioned the move by the Government regarding permission to furnish additional documents.
   Both A and D
   Option D
   Refer to, “The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Union government whether it is giving the over 40 lakh people, excluded from the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, a “second chance” to gain citizenship by allowing them to produce fresh documents to prove their Indian legacy.”
   
    



3. Which among the following substantiates the observation of the Supreme Court that the government is contradicting its own stand in the issue of National Register of Citizens?
   The government first wanted to draft the NRC but now it is not interested in doing so because of reasons best known to them.
   The government wants the Supreme Court to take stock of the situation now when it rejected the same offer in the past.
   The government first asked for documents to prove legacy once and for all but it is again asking for the documents in a later stage in certain cases.
   The government did not want to financially support the initiative in the beginning but now it is inclined to give money to this program.
   The government is not very sure about the objective of the NRC but in the past it made tall claims that it knew everything about this initiative.
   Option C
   Refer to, “Besides, the Bench pointed out, the government, in the beginning, had specified that documents on legacy would be allowed to be filed only once. Now, it has changed tack to permit additional documents to be filed. “Are you not contradicting yourself here?” Justice Gogoi asked Mr. Venugopal.”
   
    



4. Which among the following is a possible consequence of the new standard operating procedure adopted by the Government regarding the National Register of Citizens?
   The government will have to shell out more money since it is not having enough staff in place to carry out the census.
   The government will include many fake people who are not from the state but they will be included in the NRC.
   The government does not know anything about the profiling of people under the NRC framework but still it is doing so.
   The citizens who have been left out will try to forge documents and legacies in order to get included in the National Register of Citizens.
   The Assam Government will have to carry out the same exercise time and again with double manpower and expenses.
   Option
   Refer to, “To this, Mr. Hajela said reopening of family trees would risk the possibility of “trading of legacies or meeting of minds”. "Giving a second chance would only open trading in legacies. There may be people who are willing to sell the legacies to others,” he said.”
   
    



5. Why has the Supreme Court observed that the new move by the government will actually make the government redo the whole exercise?
   The government will need to verify all the documents again and then the same will have to uploaded in the database with correlation to the earlier data.
   The government will not understand the old data manipulation and there will be new kind of data manipulation in this new process.
   The government will have to draw the family tree again and the whole legacy will have to be understood again by the government.
   The government will need to check every single citizen in the state so that there is no duplication in the process.
   The Supreme Court is not sure whether the government will be able to follow the whole exercise completely till the end.
   Option C
   Refer to, ““You see, a claimant submits documents to prove his legacy from his father. A family tree is drawn, which includes the claimant’s siblings, etc. The authorities verify his claim with each one of the member in the family tree before deciding his claim [for citizenship]. Now, your SOP says that a person can submit fresh documents claiming to prove his legacy from his grandfather. Now, the family tree has to be recreated. Everything has to be re-verified. This amounts to redoing the entire exercise. Why?”, Justice Gogoi asked Attorney General K.K. Venugopal.”
   
    



6. Which among the following is the course of action that has been taken by the Supreme Court regarding re-verification drive of the government under the aegis of National Register of Citizens?
   The Supreme Court has done away with the new SOP published by the government and it has asked the government to carry on with the old one.
   The Supreme Court has done away with the new SOP published by the government and it has asked the government to carry on with the old one.
   The Supreme Court is of the opinion that the whole exercise of the NRC is a farce and something should be done to stop it.
   The Supreme Court postponed the date of commencement of collection of additional documents at the claims and objections stage.
   The Supreme Court asked the amicus curiae to defend the matter on behalf of the state because nobody was appearing on behalf of the state.
   Option D
   Refer to, “Meanwhile, the court deferred the receipt of claims and objections to a later date. This stage was supposed to start within the next days, on August 30, and would have continued till October 28.”
   
    



7. Which among the following is true regarding the directions given by the Supreme Court to the NRC Coordinator of Assam regarding the new SOP of the Union Government?
   
   I. Mr Hajela will need to be present before the court on the next date of hearing and on every date of hearing thereafter
   II. Mr. Hajela will need to submit a report regarding the possible consequences of the new move by the Union Government regarding the National Register of Citizens
   III. Mr. Hajela will look forward to his advocate to defend him since the SC has asked him to appoint an advocate in the personal capacity from the next date of hearing
   Both I and II
   Both II and III
   Only II
   Only III
   None of the above
   Option C
   Refer to, “The court directed Assam State NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela to file a report on the ramifications of the government's proposal to submit fresh documents. Mr. Hajela has to file his report before September 5, the next date of hearing.”
   
    



8. Which among the following prompted the Supreme Court to ask the NRC Coordinator to submit a report within a time frame regarding the time required for re-verification on sampling basis?
   The Supreme Court could understand that the state is not interested in pursuing this matter further and that is why it has directed on its own.
   The Supreme Court wants to get to the bottom of the issue concerning the population census so that nobody is treated in an unfair manner.
   The Supreme Court saw the list of people left out in the first round of NRC Data Collection in the state.
   The Supreme Court wants to get a reality check regarding the new move of the Union Government.
   The Supreme Court understands the reason of the new move of the Union Government but it wants to prove it futile with evidence.
   Option C
   Refer to, “The Supreme Court further asked Mr. Hajela to submit a report with a time-frame to carry out the sample re-verification of at least 10 per cent of the names included in the final draft NRC. This is after Mr. Hajela placed before the Bench a district-wise data of the percentage of the population who have been excluded from the final draft NRC.“
   
    



9. Which among the following is similar in meaning to the word 'Ramifications' as used in the passage?
   Sequels
   Consequences
   Articulation
   Materialization
   None of the above
   Option D
   Sequels imply the next parts of something whereas articulation implies mentioning something very clearly and materialization implies bringing something into reality.
   
    



10. Which among the following is opposite in meaning to the word 'deferred' as used in the passage?
    Hastened
    Advanced
    Accustomed
    Fragmented
    Fragmented
    Option B
    Hastened refers to hurried whereas advanced means bringing something forward. Accustomed implies that you are habituated to something and fragmented implies that something is in parts and ratified implies that somebody has approved some proposal or law.