A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking judicial intervention to tackle the “continuing constitutional failure” in preventing and addressing racial discrimination and violence against citizens from northeastern states and other frontier regions. The plea follows the brutal killing of 24-year-old MBA student Anjel Chakma in Dehradun on December 27, a crime allegedly motivated by racial bias.
Chakma, from Machmara in Tripura’s Unakoti district, was attacked in the Selaqui area of Dehradun while accompanied by his younger brother Michael. The family is demanding capital punishment or life imprisonment for all accused. The PIL, filed by Delhi-based lawyer Anoop Prakash Awasthi, names the Centre and all states and Union territories as respondents, highlighting systemic gaps in addressing racially motivated crimes.
The plea seeks a writ under Article 32 of the Constitution, asserting that racial violence violates fundamental rights under Articles 14, 19(1)(a) & (g), and 21. It calls for formal recognition of racial slurs as a separate category of hate crimes, along with comprehensive guidelines and clear punitive measures to ensure justice and accountability.
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The petition also recommends the creation of dedicated bodies at central and state levels, including nodal agencies, special commissions, or directorates, as well as district-level police units to monitor, report, and redress racial crimes. It urges educational workshops and debates to raise awareness and prevent racial discrimination in society.
Highlighting systemic gaps, the PIL notes that India’s criminal justice framework currently treats racially motivated attacks as ordinary crimes, erasing evidence of racial bias and perpetuating impunity. The petition points to earlier incidents, including the 2014 death of Nido Taniam and assaults on northeastern students in metropolitan cities, as examples of a long-standing pattern of racial violence.
The plea calls for urgent judicial action to ensure that crimes targeting northeastern citizens are recorded, investigated, and prosecuted with full recognition of their racial motive. Advocates argue that institutional reforms and dedicated legal frameworks are essential to protect vulnerable communities and uphold constitutional equality.
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