Supreme Court Expresses Concern Over Cultural Discrimination Against Kerala Students in Delhi

The incident involved students from Delhi University's Zakir Husain Delhi College.

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court expressed significant concern on Tuesday regarding an incident where two Kerala students were allegedly assaulted by police and locals near Delhi's Red Fort. The students were reportedly "coerced" to speak Hindi and mocked for wearing traditional Kerala attire.

"We are one country," asserted the bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and Alok Aradhe. The justices voiced their distress about citizens being targeted based on cultural and racial differences.

According to reports, the two first-year students from Delhi University's Zakir Husain Delhi College faced assault, were pressured to communicate in Hindi, and ridiculed for wearing 'lungi', a traditional garment.

The case being heard originated from a 2015 petition filed following multiple attacks on Northeast residents, including the tragic death of Arunachal Pradesh student Nido Tania in Delhi.

Previously, the Supreme Court had directed the Central Government to establish a committee with powers to ensure strict action in cases of racial discrimination, atrocities, and violence, while also recommending measures to prevent such hate crimes.

During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, representing the Centre, informed the court that a monitoring committee had been established, suggesting that no further action on the petition was necessary.

The petitioner's counsel contested this assertion, arguing that incidents of racial discrimination and exclusion targeting people from Northeast India continue to occur.

Addressing the ASG, the bench remarked, "We read in the newspaper recently that a man from Kerala was ridiculed for wearing a lungi in Delhi. This is unacceptable in a country where people live in harmony. You should be more bothered about it. We are one country."

The petitioner's attorney highlighted that the monitoring committee, which should convene quarterly, has only met 14 times over nine years.

The Supreme Court has now requested the petitioner to submit a response regarding the status report filed by the Centre.