Supreme Court orders committee to draft legal safeguards for Northeastern residents by Dec 18

In an October 14 ruling, the Supreme Court directed the Centre’s monitoring committee to present proposals for amending criminal law to protect individuals from the Northeast living elsewhere in India, with a submission deadline of Dec 18. The court stressed the need to record complainants’ details immediately, citing the killing of 54-year-old music teacher Vikram Singh Chongtham in Delhi. Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva criticized the committee’s poor meeting attendance and lack of seriousness, urging physical participation.

The directive revives earlier suggestions from the 2014 Bezbaruah committee, which recommended new IPC sections on hate speech and provocation. Formed in 2016 after a PIL by Karma Dorjee, the monitoring panel has handled nine incidents across states, including the attack on MBA student Anjel Chakma in Dehradun. The court also called for a fixed schedule of future meetings.