A bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Alok Aradhe made the observations while referring to a recent incident near Delhi’s Red Fort, where two students from Kerala were allegedly assaulted and ridiculed for wearing lungis and not speaking Hindi. The court said such behaviour went against the spirit of national integration.
“We are one country. Forcing people to speak Hindi or mocking them for cultural expressions like the lungi cannot be tolerated,” the bench said, expressing concern over growing cases of racial and cultural bias.
Both victims, first-year students at Delhi University’s Zakir Husain College, were reportedly beaten by locals and police personnel. The case was highlighted by the petitioner’s counsel, Advocate Gaichangpou Gangmei, who argued that discrimination against people from the Northeast and southern states persists despite court directives.
The Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj, appearing for the Centre, informed the court that a monitoring committee had been established to address such issues. However, the bench sought further details, emphasizing that mere formation of a committee was insufficient without tangible outcomes.
The Supreme Court directed the Centre to submit an updated status report on the functioning of the Monitoring Committee constituted in 2016 to address racial discrimination complaints. The court reaffirmed that India’s strength lies in its cultural diversity and that intolerance toward regional identities undermines the nation’s unity.
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