New Delhi: A Parliamentary Committee stated that there is a valid argument for establishing a separate High Court for the state of Nagaland.
The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law, and Justice, in its 141st report titled ‘Judicial Infrastructure in the North-Eastern States of India,’ highlighted that Nagaland has lacked its own High Court since 1963, operating under the jurisdiction of the Gauhati High Court.
The President of the Kohima Bar Association informed the parliamentary panel that states like Tripura, Meghalaya, and Manipur, which came under the Gauhati High Court’s jurisdiction in 1971, have since established their own High Courts. However, Nagaland still does not have one.
The Standing Committee, chaired by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi, endorsed the demand for a separate High Court for Nagaland and urged the Union Ministry of Law and Justice to collaborate with the Ministry of Home Affairs to address this demand.
Additionally, the Committee noted that the status of judicial infrastructure in the northeastern states is a work in progress, emphasizing the need for further efforts to meet requirements at the lower end of the spectrum.
“While the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for Development of Infrastructure Facilities for Judiciary provides a ray of hope, it is crucial to increase the share of North Eastern States under the Scheme,” the report stated.
Dear Reader,
Every day, our team at EastMojo travels through rain, rough roads, and remote hills to bring you stories that matter – stories from your town, your people, your Northeast.
We do this because we believe in truthful, independent journalism. No big corporate backing, no government pressure – just honest reporting by local journalists who live and breathe the same air you do.
But to keep doing this work, we need you. Your small contribution helps us pay our reporters fairly, reach places others ignore, and keep asking the tough questions.
If you believe the Northeast deserves its own fearless voice, stand with us.
Support independent journalism. Be a Member.
Thank you,
Karma Paljor
Editor-in-Chief, eastmojo.com
Highlighting the inadequate conditions in which some courts operate, the Committee emphasized that functioning from dilapidated rented premises with insufficient space and lacking basic amenities like toilets, water connection, and proper electricity supply does not align with the principles of a vibrant and aspirational democracy.
The panel stressed the state’s responsibility to provide access to justice and create judicial infrastructure for the efficient, economic, and timely delivery of justice.
Also Read: Manipur: 2 held with drugs worth Rs 9.5 cr in Imphal