[JURIST] The government of India [official website] and the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) on Monday signed a peace agreement ending over 60 years of fighting. The feud between the NSCM and the Indian government for the independence of the Naga tribespeople is the longest-standing in India since the nation gained independence in 1947. The two sides signed [chronology] a peace agreement in 1997 but took 18 years to come to a definitive understanding. The terms of the agreement between government negotiator R.N. Ravi and NSCN leader Thuingaleng Muivah have not yet been released. Prime Minister Narendra Modi [official website] called the agreement “historic,” and said “I have the deepest admiration for the great Naga people for their extraordinary support to the peace efforts.”

Since India gained independence [British Library backgrounder] from Britain in 1947, the government has struggled with multiple rebel and terrorist organizations. Last month India hanged Yakub Memon [JURIST report], a former accountant convicted in the 1993 Mumbai bombings. Memon is the brother of the attack mastermind “Tiger” Memon who currently remains at large. Former India Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju said [JURIST report] that “there has been a gross travesty of justice in the case of Yakub Memon.” Katju said that after thoroughly studying the judgment of the court, he believes that Memon was convicted on weak evidence for his involvement in the 1993 Mumbai serial bombings that killed 257 people. In March the Supreme Court of India struck down a law that gave authorities the power to jail people for offensive online posts, including posts used to support rebels.