‘Unacceptable’: Supreme Court condemns alleged assault of Kerala students in Delhi

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (November 11, 2025) expressed strong disapproval of the latest incident in which two students from Kerala were allegedly attacked in the national capital, “forced” to speak Hindi and taunted for wearing lungi (coloured mundus, a traditional dress of the state).

It was claimed that the students were attacked by a group of miscreants who accused them of theft near the Red Fort on September 24, and some police personnel also participated in the attack.

The Bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Alok Aradhe stated that they had taken note of the incident through media reports and emphasized that such acts of racial discrimination were completely “unacceptable” in a country built on pluralism and unity.

“Recently we read in the newspaper that a man from Kerala was being mocked for wearing lungs in Delhi. This is unacceptable in a country where people live in harmony… we are one country,” Justice Kumar said.

racial prejudice

The court was hearing a 2014 petition seeking directions for framing guidelines to protect people in the Northeastern States against racial discrimination. The plea had cited several such incidents, including the murder of Nido Tania, a student from Arunachal Pradesh who was beaten to death by shopkeepers in South Delhi on January 29, 2014.

Earlier, the apex court had directed the Center to set up a committee to monitor such incidents of racial violence and hate crimes and recommend preventive measures. He also emphasized that meaningful prevention of such incidents can only be achieved through efforts to promote deeper attitudinal change in universities, workplaces and society at large.

Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, appearing for the Center during Tuesday’s hearing, informed the court that a monitoring committee has already been constituted as per earlier directions. However, advocate Gaichangpou Gangmei, appearing for the petitioner, argued that cases of racial discrimination and exclusion of people from the Northeast continued.

Referring to the recent attacks on Kerala students, Justice Kumar said such incidents showed the continued prevalence of racial prejudice and told Mr Nataraj that the government “should be more concerned about this”.

The Board was also informed by Mr Gangmei that the monitoring committee, which was supposed to meet quarterly, had met only 14 times in nine years. Taking cognizance of the application, the court adjourned the proceedings and directed the petitioner to respond to the Centre’s latest status report.

Earlier, Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas had written a letter to Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha demanding an investigation into what he described as “inhuman assault, custodial assault and cultural humiliation” on two students. He had asked the commissioner to initiate a high-level investigation, identify those responsible and take back the students’ belongings.

“Instead of extending protection, the police colluded with the mafia…students were dragged, beaten with fiber laths, stepped on, robbed and humiliated in the most degrading way,” the letter claimed.

However, Delhi Police made a different statement about the incident.

DCP (North) Raja Banthia had said Hindu He said several hawkers brought the two students to the police station to resolve the payment dispute. “Some hawkers took them to task after allegedly beating them up in the market. The hawkers had complained that these two people had previously purchased clothes, paid ₹4,000 in cash and showed them online payment of ₹10,000 which was not actually made. When they visited the market again on September 24, the hawkers identified them, got into a fight and mistreated them,” the DCP said.