The Indian Supreme Court on Wednesday disapproved the Manipur High Court’s decision to curtail hospital treatment for a prisoner belonging to the minority Kuki community, citing ethnic clashes in the state.

While giving the order, the Apex Court expressed disappointment, “We do not trust the state…The accused was not taken to hospital because he is from the Kuki community. So sad! We direct him to be examined now. If the medical report reveals something serious, we will take you to task”.

The appeal was filed before the Apex Court by the petitioner named Lunkhongjam Haokip who was arrested by the state police in October 2022 for illegal possession of around two kilograms of brown sugar. The prisoner is reportedly suffering from ailments including piles, tuberculosis, and chronic tonsillitis and has complained of serious back and abdominal pain before the jail authorities. The Manipur High Court has rejected the prisoner’s plea for treatment in hospital asserting that “he (the prisoner) belongs to Kuki community and it would be dangerous to shift having regard to the law and order situation prevailing in the State”.

The Supreme Court bench, while passing the order on Wednesday stated:

We could have observed many things as regards the approach of the State as well the High Court. For the present, we do not observe anything. We direct the Jail Superintendent concerned as well as the responsible authority of the State of Manipur to immediately make necessary arrangements to take the petitioner to Guwahati Medical College and get him examined at the said hospital…All expenses in this regard shall be borne by the State of Manipur.

Manipur saw deadly ethnic clashes between rival communities namely the majority-Meitis and Kuki-Zomi-Mizo-Chin starting on May 3, 2023. A heavy skirmish erupted between the hill-dwelling Kukis and the valley-dwelling Meitis over the state High Court’s decision to include the Meitis community in the “Scheduled Tribes” (ST) list. This was massively protested by the Kuki tribe, an ST reserved group, as they consider the Meitis inclusion under the reserved list would give a redundant advantage to an already advanced tribal community of the state and would further encroach upon the reserved rights of the Kuki people.