ILP enforcement ‘systemic failure’: ILRC

Inner Line Regulation Commission (ILRC) of the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has described the recent detection of hundreds of ILP defaulters by Nagaland police as clear evidence of prolonged systemic failure rather than effective enforcement.
In a press release, the ILRC said the identification of 436 defaulters on April 10 and 208 on April 11 revealed that a large number of non-indigenous individuals have been residing, working, and operating businesses in Nagaland for extended periods without valid Inner Line Passes.
The commission emphasised that the correct legal term was “Inner Line Pass” as per the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, and not “Permit”.
ILRC asserted that the casual use of the word “permit” has diluted the seriousness and restrictive nature of the law.
It said that identification of such large numbers of defaulters was not a law-and-order success, but proof of how deeply enforcement has failed over the years.
The commission pointed out that many of those caught were not recent entrants but had already become embedded in the local economy, affecting indigenous livelihoods while operating outside the legal framework.
ILRC held district administrations, labour departments, trade licensing authorities, and municipal councils responsible for failing to integrate ILP verification into routine regulatory processes.
Further, the commission stressed that enforcement cannot remain reactive or limited to occasional drives. It called for immediate structural reforms including mandatory linkage of ILP verification with business licenses and employment; establishment of a centralized and digitized ILP database for real-time checking and clear accountability mechanisms for lapses in enforcement.
Asserting that Inner Line Pass was a legal instrument of protection, ILRC said its continued dilution through weak enforcement has serious consequences. It maintained that the real question was no longer whether violations exist, but how long they have been allowed to persist unchecked and who was responsible.
ILRC urged the state government to treat the current situation as an opportunity to strengthen and streamline the ILP system through structural reforms.