After Anjel Chakma tragedy, SC passes PIL on racial attacks to attorney general

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to directly take up a petition seeking action against racial violence targeting citizens from the northeast and other regions, but asked Attorney General R. Venkataramani to look into the matter and take appropriate steps.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi said that identifying people based on race, region, sex, or caste would be “a step backwards” after decades of independence. “A crime is a crime and it must be dealt with firmly,” the court added.

The PIL was filed by Delhi lawyer Anoop Prakash Awasthi following the brutal killing of Anjel Chakma , a 24-year-old MBA student from Tripura. Chakma was stabbed to death on December 26, 2025 , in the Selaqui area of Dehradun , in an attack described as racially motivated. His younger brother, Michael Chakma , witnessed the attack.

Awasthi said that although the issue had been raised in Parliament, lawmakers had declined to set up a dedicated agency to tackle such hate crimes. The petition argued that the government has failed to prevent and respond to racial discrimination and violence against citizens from northeastern states and frontier regions.

The Supreme Court disposed of the petition, allowing the petitioner to submit a soft copy to the Attorney General along with the court’s order. The AG is expected to take the matter forward with the concerned authorities.

Anjel Chakma’s family has demanded capital punishment or life imprisonment for all the accused. The plea had named the Centre, all states, and Union Territories as parties.