Court directs Centre-appointed committee to recommend legal changes and ensure prompt recording of details in harassment complaints
The Supreme Court has directed a committee constituted by the Centre to recommend legal reforms to strengthen the protection of people from the Northeast living in other parts of the country, setting December 18 as the deadline for submitting its proposals, Hindustan Times reported.
In an order dated October 14, a bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva also directed authorities to immediately record complainants’ full details, including their addresses, when receiving complaints of harassment and ensure that necessary action is initiated.
The court further directed that victims’ statements be recorded promptly after incidents to prevent delays in tracing complainants and pursuing their cases.
The directions came during the hearing of a petition filed by advocate Alana Golmei concerning violence and harassment against people from the Northeast.
According to an affidavit submitted by the Centre, the monitoring committee reviewed nine cases of alleged violence and harassment reported across several states over the past year, along with the action taken by police in the respective cases. The court was informed that some complaints could not be pursued because the complainants could not be traced.
The bench directed the committee to examine the need for changes in existing laws and make appropriate recommendations to the authorities concerned to strengthen protection for people from the region.
The issue of legal reform dates back to 2014, when the Centre constituted a committee headed by former IAS officer MK Bezbaruah following the death of Nido Tania, a student from Arunachal Pradesh, in Delhi. The committee recommended several measures, including proposed amendments to the Indian Penal Code to address hate speech and the provocation of violence on grounds such as race, caste, place of birth and residence.
The Law Commission of India made similar recommendations in 2017. However, the monitoring committee has not yet made concrete recommendations on the proposed legal changes, according to the report.
The Supreme Court also expressed concern over the participation of members in committee meetings. Reviewing the minutes of a meeting held on September 8, the bench noted that only three of the 11 members attended in person, while the remaining members participated through video-conferencing.
The court observed that even some members stationed in Delhi had joined virtually, raising concerns about the seriousness with which the committee was attending to its responsibilities.
In February, the court had directed the committee to meet at least once every three months and stressed the importance of fixing meeting dates in advance.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on December 18.
The court’s directions come amid continuing concerns over alleged racial discrimination and violence against people from the Northeast in other parts of the country. One of the cases being monitored by the committee involves Anjel Chakma, an MBA student who was attacked along with his brother in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, in December last year. (With inputs from Hindustan Times).
