HC Terms PIL on Targeting of Bengali-Speaking Community 'Vague', Seeks State Reply

GUWAHATI — The Gauhati High Court on Wednesday directed the Assam government to respond to a Public Interest Litigation alleging that the state's Bengali-speaking community is being targeted through various government policies — even as the bench expressed clear reservations about the quality of the allegations placed before it.

The PIL (PIL/36/2025) was filed by the All BTC Minority Students' Union (ABMSU), which claimed that certain state policies were adversely affecting the Bengali-speaking community "through the backdoor."

Court Unimpressed, but Keeps the Matter Alive

A bench of Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury was candid in its assessment of the petition.

"On a plain reading of the averments made in the writ petition, it appears that the allegations are very general and vague," the court noted. It further observed that an "over-generalization" had been made in the PIL while challenging specific state policies, and that there could be multiple legitimate reasons for measures like granting arms licences to indigenous people in vulnerable areas — reasons that may have nothing to do with targeting any community.

Despite these reservations, the bench directed the state government to positively file a counter-affidavit by the next date of hearing on July 20.

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What the PIL Alleges

The petitioner pointed to two specific concerns to substantiate its broader claims.

First, a state scheme granting arms licences to indigenous people residing in vulnerable areas — which the PIL alleged could escalate communal tension. Second, eviction drives, which the petitioner claimed are carried out in an arbitrary and inhuman manner without following due process, and disproportionately target minority community groups.

The court's prima facie response suggests it will require considerably more specific evidence before the allegations gain traction — but the matter will now be heard with a government response on record.