The Supreme Court on Friday urged all sides in the ongoing Manipur conflict to adopt a “positive approach” and work towards ensuring that all national highways in the State remain accessible to everyone, observing that blockades were only aggravating the hardship faced by ordinary people.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana acknowledged the seriousness of the petitioner’s grievance over the blocking of national highways but cautioned that any coercive direction to immediately open the roads could potentially trigger further violence. The Court stressed that the Union and State governments should engage with the parties and explore ways to resolve the issue on the ground.
At one point, the Bench made a broader appeal to both communities, observing:
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“Why don’t both the groups realise one thing? That blockade of highways is not serving anybody’s cause. You see, hardship has no religion, no group, no community, no tag or anything. Hardship is faced by everyone. You must be facing hardship, they are also facing hardship. So why don’t you at least do the intervention of some, maybe some agency, maybe some State Legislature or any other platform. Why don’t the national highways are allowed to be functional?
It can’t be peaceful that one highway is open but other highways are closed. All the highways are the lifeline of the common person. Because every essential good, whatever supply, goes to everywhere.”
During the hearing, one side alleged that the community represented by the petitioner had been responsible for blocking national highways since the outbreak of violence in Manipur on May 3, 2023, while counsel appearing for the other side categorically stated that they were against any blockade or killing.
The Bench sought to prevent the proceedings from turning into an exchange of allegations and instead encouraged the parties to work towards ensuring access to highways for everyone.
The Court eventually recorded the submission that the parties were not opposing the opening of the highways, with the Bench stressing that this should translate into actual access on the ground.
The Bench also indicated that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) could be brought into the proceedings as a party responsible for the national highways. The Court emphasised the need for both sides to actively work on the ground to ensure that highways remain accessible, noting that the dispute had already witnessed several rounds of commitments and promises.