The Supreme Court’s latest rebuke of the Union of India over delays in convening meetings of a court-mandated monitoring committee has once again brought into focus long-standing concerns over the welfare and protection of people from Northeast India living across the country.
A Bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and K. Vinod Chandran on Wednesday observed that the Union government had been “taking things very lightly” despite clear directions to hold meetings every three months.
“We are not going to close this. Despite us keeping this matter pending, you (Union) were taking things very lightly….There is no doubt about it. After 15 December, you didn’t hold a meeting till we asked you to hold one. You (Union) were supposed to hold it every three months,” the Bench remarked.
The Court was hearing a plea concerning the welfare of Northeast residents in different parts of India. In an earlier hearing on February 17, it had directed the monitoring committee to meet quarterly and address incidents of racial discrimination.
While a meeting was eventually held on March 15 following the Court’s direction, the Bench noted that the minutes did not indicate the next proposed date of the meeting.
“It would be appropriate that the minutes of each meeting indicate the proposed next date, which would not be binding, as it would be open to the Committee to meet earlier if the situation so warrants,” the Court ordered.
According to a report by Bar and Bench, the Bench also expressed concern over the level of representation at the meeting, pointing out that key officials were absent.
“Look at the people who attended the meeting. In our order, we had also referred to Ms Neha Dhiman, Under Secretary, Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region. This lady has not even attended the meeting,” the Court said.
Although counsel for the Union submitted that a Director had attended, the Court remained unconvinced. “…this monitoring committee is in relation to the welfare of North East people. All persons involved with the North Eastern region should at least be there,” the Bench added.
The Court also flagged the continuing discrimination faced by people from the region. Referring to a video circulating on social media, Justice Kumar said:
“A video is currently doing the rounds on WhatsApp. I was in Manipur and have many friends there…The song in the video says, ‘Call us Nepali, call us ‘chinkis’, but we are still Indians.’”
The order was passed by a Bench comprising Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice K. Vinod Chandran while hearing Writ Petition (Civil) No. 53/2015, Alana Golmei vs Union of India & Others.
Recently, there was renewed attention to racial discrimination following the killing of 24-year-old Anjel Chakma in Dehradun, who was allegedly attacked after racial slurs were hurled at him. His death has once again highlighted the vulnerabilities faced by Northeast citizens outside the region.
In an earlier report by EastMojo, members of the Bezbaruah Committee, formed in 2014 after the killing of Nido Tania in Delhi, had raised similar concerns about systemic gaps and lack of implementation.
Joram Maivio, a member of the committee and Special Invitee to the monitoring panel, had said: “The brutal, racially motivated killing of Anjel Chakma, targeted simply because he looked different, is deeply painful and unacceptable. This was not just an attack on one individual; it exposes a long-standing, chronic, and systemic problem of racial discrimination.”
According to Maivio, while the committee’s mandate addressed issues such as racial discrimination, targeted violence, police insensitivity, weak legal protection, and cultural alienation, it lacked strong enforcement mechanisms.
He outlined urgent measures needed, including enactment of anti-racial discrimination laws or amendments to IPC Sections 153C and 509A, establishment of Northeast Cells, helplines, special police units in major cities, inclusion of Northeast history in school curricula, nationwide sensitisation, and comprehensive victim support systems.
Despite Supreme Court directions for quarterly meetings, Maivio noted that the monitoring committee has met only around 14 to 15 times since 2016.
“It has not been effective. The Supreme Court directed quarterly meetings, but since 2016, we have had only 14 or 15 meetings. Even the court has expressed dissatisfaction,” he said.
Alana Golmei, lawyer and member of the Bezbaruah Committee, echoed similar concerns in the earlier EastMojo report. “These recommendations were meant for all States, not just Delhi. Yet mechanisms like the 1093 helpline exist only in Delhi. The nodal agency system was never implemented nationwide,” she said.
She also pointed to gaps in legal provisions.
“If IPC Sections 153A, 153B, and 153C had been amended, there would have been stronger legal grounds to act. Today, racial slurs often go unpunished because there is no specific law,” Golmei said.
Regarding the SC’s latest order, Alana Golmei told EastMojo, she is hopeful that with this push from the Supreme Court, the committee will take more stringent measures and be more active. “SC monitoring has given a lot of pressure to the UOI to act,” she said.
Also Read: How Lum Shaiza is preserving Tangkhul literature through a library
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