Supreme Court Grants Manipur 8 Weeks to Defend Inner Line Permit System

The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted eight weeks to the Manipur government to respond to a plea challenging the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in the state.

A bench comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti granted the time after the counsel for the Manipur government requested an extension.

On January 3, 2022, the apex court had issued a notice to the Centre and the Manipur government on a petition filed by Amra Bangali, a Kolkata-based organization with a unit in Assam, demanding the revocation of the ILP system in Manipur.

The petition challenges the ILP system on the grounds that it provides unbridled power to the state to restrict the entry and exit of non-indigenous persons or those who are not permanent residents of Manipur.

The ILP system was introduced through the Adaptation of Laws (Amendment) Order, 2019, which extends the 140-year-old colonial legislation, Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873 (BEFR).

According to the plea, the BEFR was enacted by the British to create a monopoly over tea plantations in Assam (then part of Bengal) and protect their commercial interests in the hilly areas from Indians. It prohibited Indians from engaging in trade with the tribal population in the areas mentioned in the BEFR’s preamble.

The 2019 order has made the ILP system applicable to the states of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and notified districts of Nagaland. The plea argues that this order violates the fundamental rights of citizens guaranteed under Articles 14, 15, 19, and 21 of the Indian Constitution, as it grants unqualified power to the state to restrict the entry and exit of non-indigenous persons.

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The petition further stated, “The draconian ILP system is fundamentally opposed to the policies of social integration, development, and technological advancement in the area beyond the Inner Line, apart from hampering tourism within the state, which is a major source of revenue generation for these areas.”