The observation came during the hearing of a long-pending petition filed in 2015 after the death of Arunachal Pradesh student Nido Tania in the capital. The petition sought measures to curb racial discrimination and violence against people from the Northeast and southern states.
Referring to a recent assault near Red Fort, where two Kerala students from Delhi University’s Zakir Husain College were allegedly beaten by police and locals for wearing a lungi and not speaking Hindi, the Court expressed deep concern. It said the Centre must take such incidents seriously to prevent cultural and racial prejudice.
Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj, appearing for the Centre, informed the bench that a monitoring committee had been established as directed by the Court in 2016, arguing that the matter no longer required judicial attention. However, Advocate Gaichangpou Gangmei, representing the petitioner, disagreed, stating that incidents of discrimination continue to persist across the country.
The bench remarked that unity in diversity must be upheld in both spirit and practice. “We live together as one people. No one should be targeted for their culture, dress, or language,” Justice Kumar said.
The Court reiterated its earlier order directing the Centre to file an updated status report on the functioning of the committee tasked with monitoring racial discrimination complaints. The matter will be heard again after the government submits its compliance report.
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